RAMALLAH, October 24, 2011 (WAFA) – Israel’s construction of a section of the separation Annexation Wall on Walaja land in the Bethlehem area has destroyed land and uprooted dozens of trees, a Palestinian human rights center said on Monday.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said in a statement that the Israeli forces continued for the fourth straight week to raze land and uproot fully grown trees in the village of Walaja, southwest of Bethlehem, to build a new section of a concrete wall that is supposed to separate the West Bank from the Israeli-annexed areas south of Jerusalem.
“PCHR condemns the destruction of land,” said the statement, stressing that the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, issued on July 9, 2004, was clear in condemning the construction of the wall due to the fact that it is illegal and damages Palestinian land.
Israel began construction on the Walaja section of the wall on October 3 when army-protected bulldozers started to raze land and uproot trees to level the land as a prelude toward building the concrete wall.
More than 90 dunums of agricultural land and 230 olive, almond, pine and oak trees were destroyed in addition to destruction of grape vines.
Work on the land started after the Israeli High Court gave the go ahead in August to the government to proceed with the work after it rejected a petition by the Walaja land owners filed in December to change the route of the wall.
The court claimed the route was necessary for the security of Israel, rejecting as a result pleas by the village residents to preserve their farm land, which is important for their daily livelihood, said PCHR.
The human right center called on the international community to quickly act to put a stop to Israeli violations of international law.
Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA
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