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Separation Barrier

Soldier convicted of negligent homicide of ‘Udai Darawish, a Palestinian entering Israel through gap in Separation Barrier

The media have reported that on 18 March 2013 an Israeli soldier was convicted of negligent homicide in the death of ‘Udai Darawish. On 12 Jan. 2013 the soldier shot Darawish after the latter crossed into Israel from the West Bank through a gap in the Separation Barrier. Darawish was on his way to work in Israel but had no entry permit. The prosecution reportedly intended to charge the soldier with homicide, but the charge was reduced through a plea bargain. The soldier’s sentence is yet to be given. Indictments of soldiers involved in killing Palestinians are extremely rare. B’Tselem knows of only 15 indictments in such cases since the outbreak of the second Intifada.

April 9
B’Tselem inquiry: No justification for shooting and killing Samir ‘Awad, 16. Budrus, 15 Jan 2013

On 15 January 2013, Samir ‘Awad, 16, was killed by live ammunition fired by Israeli soldiers near the Separation Barrier at Budrus. A B’Tselem inquiry reveals that the soldiers were not in danger at any time. Nevertheless, and in total contravention of open-fire regulations, they shot ‘Awad three times. The Military Advocate General (MAG) Corps announced that same day that it ordered an investigation to be opened. B’Tselem conveyed to the Military Police Investigations Unit all the information it collected on the incident, and is awaiting the conclusion of the investigation.

February 21
Five Palestinian civilians fatally shot by Israeli military in January 2013

In January 2013, Israeli soldiers fatally shot four Palestinians in the West Bank and at least one in the Gaza Strip. According to B’Tselem’s preliminary inquiries into the five cases in which the Israeli military has accepted responsibility for the firing, the people killed were unarmed and posed no danger to the soldiers.
B’Tselem is monitoring the MPIU investigations and would emphasize that, in addition to investigating the circumstances of each incident, the investigators must also examine the written and oral directives conveyed to the soldiers involved.

January 30
New short film: "Welcome to Bir Nabala"

The short film tells the story of the town through two wedding halls that operated there until the construction of the barrier. The film includes rare archival footage of the wedding halls' glory days, before their owners were forced to abandon them when business plummeted.

November 8
Arrested Development - The Interactive Version

We've prepared an interactive version to make the key messages of the report accessible to a wider audience. An interactive map presents four case studies; a short video puts a human face to the barrier's impact in one of these places, the town of Bir Nabala; and an animated short gives a lighthearted treatment to a serious subject: the devastating impact of the permit regime for farmers with land across the barrier.

November 5
New report on the Separation Barrier: Arrested Development

A decade after construction began on the Separation Barrier, the harm to adjacent Palestinian communities is clear. With some two-thirds of the barrier completed, it has crippled agriculture along its route. By isolating communities from each other and from their land, the barrier has eroded their ability to survive and prevents any sustainable development. This reality violates the state's commitment to the High Court that the barrier would not seriously harm these communities.

October 29
A reminder: Some facts about the settlement of Ariel

In light of the intention to upgrade the Ariel academic center to a university, B'Tselem provides some examples of the way this settlement harms human rights: Located in the center of the West Bank, Ariel was built on land that served the residents of nearby Palestinian villages. Ariel's wastewater pollutes the water sources of the nearby Palestinian town Salfit. To allow Israeli settlers a smooth commute between Ariel and Israel, Palestinian villages in the region were cut off from their regional capital.

July 17
An officer who injured a non-violent protester in Bil'in will not be held accountable

On 1 January 2012, MAGS Corps informed B'Tselem that the investigation into the injury of the protester Eran Cohen was closed with no legal proceedings being initiated against the officer who shot him with a rubber coated metal bullet. Cohen, an Israeli citizen, was shot during a demonstration in Bil’in on 15 March 2008. Video footage of the incident shows clearly that the protester did not endanger the soldiers, and that the officer was only several meters from Cohen when he opened fire, in violation of the army's orders.

February 21
High Court approves Separation Barrier route in al-Walajah

On 22 Aug. 2011, Israel's High Court of Justice has approved surrounding the built-up area of the Palestinian village of al-Walajah with the Separation Barrier – a concrete wall nine meters high and 700 meters long. The wall will separate the village from hundreds of dunams of villagers' farmland. Only one opening will be left for entering and exiting the village, on the road that connects the village to Beit Jala in the east and reaches the area of Malha in southern Jerusalem. The planned route of the wall in the area will also surround the built-up area of the nearby village of Batir.

August 24
Separation Barrier by Bil’in moved west

This week, almost four years after the Israeli High Court order on the matter, the army took down a part of the Separation Barrier built on Bil'in village land in the West Bank. The Barrier's new route returns 745 dunams of land taken from the village, but some 1,300 dunams remain west of it. Israel continues to repress the villagers' protest against the theft of their land.

June 30
East Jerusalem: Six Voices

In this innovative project, B'Tselem and the Guardian gave six Palestinians and Israelis cameras to create video diaries of their lives in occupied East Jerusalem, under the shadow of the settlement enterprise. The diaries offer a glimpse into the impact of the volatile reality on their lives.

June 14
New map: the West Bank, Settlements and Barrier

B'Tselem today launches its new and updated map of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. for the first time, B'Tselem's map also includes the "unauthorised outposts" which are illegal even under Israeli law, built around some settlements.

June 12
The Barrier strangles al-Walajah

The Barrier currently under construction runs close to the homes of al-Walajah, in southwest Jerusalem, damaging the ancient agricultural terraces and blocking villagers' access to them. The goal is to leave as much village land as possible west of the Barrier.

November 14
Dark shadow hangs over conviction of protest leader

Abdallah Abu Rahma, to be sentenced today (11.10.10), was convicted inciting demonstrators to throw stones and of organizing and participating in an illegal demonstration based on questionable testimonies by minors.

October 11
10 Years to the second Intifada

Summary of data

September 27
B'Tselem's Annual Report 2009-2010

B'Tselem is today (Monday, 14 June) publishing its annual report on human rights in the Occupied Territories, covering the 16-month period from January 2009 to April 2010. The report surveys the events since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead. One and a half years after the operation, the allegations regarding breaches of international humanitarian law by Israel and Hamas have yet to be properly investigated.

June 14
High Court approves harmful route of Separation Barrier near Sheikh Sa'ed

The High Court of Justice recently approved part of the Separation Barrier's route in the Jerusalem area. The route will separate Sheikh Sa’ed from its parent village, Jabel Mukaber, where its residents receive many of their services, and will result in grave infringement of the villagers' human rights.

May 5
Cancel sweeping closure order in Ni'lin and Bil'in

The sweeping order defines all the Bil'in and Ni'lin village lands a closed military area every Friday, raising suspicion that its purpose is to prevent the demonstrations themselves, and not only unlawful actions carried out during them.

April 14
Testimony: Soldiers assault elderly farmer

In his testimony to B'Tselem, Ahmad Ghanem, 75, a resident of Deir al-Ghusun, states that while working his land near the Separation Barrier, two soldiers severely beat him and left without giving him first-aid. B'Tselem informed the Military Police Investigation Unit and demanded an investigation.

December 8
Olive harvest 2009: army better prepared

This year, security forces were better prepared to protect farmers from settler violence during the olive harvest in the West Bank. However, they continued to limit Palestinian farmers' access to land lying near settlements or on the other side of the Separation Barrier.

November 26