Sorrounded by a Wall of Hate

Unseen in the British media, beyond the lofty vision of the corporate press, another silent terrorism goes unreported. Such is the dearth of information that only local activists and small groups of people have heard of this new prison for palestinians. On the familiar tragic stage of the Occupied West Bank, a Palestinian town by the name of Marda is now sorrounded by a ring of steel. The zionist wall of hate has sorrounded Marda, so that the only access is by a steel gate controlled by Israeli occupation forces who are legendary for their cruelty and inhumanity. The International Women's Peace Service (IWPS) and others have observed the town to be closed off for days at a time, during the summer. Activists fear that the town is destined for destruction because the illegal settlement of Ariel is located nearby. A Bristol based teacher Ed Hill, has also observed the closure and strangulation of this town.

Zaytoun is an oxford-based ethical cooperative importing Palestinian goods and supporting Palestinian causes. They organised Ed's trip and also work closely with organisations such as IWPS.

"The town suffers at the hands of the Israeli military and from the Settlers. Marda is well known to activists from Bristol as several have stayed in the town to deter such attacks. The harassment can be gun fire from the Settlement making holes in the water tanks on the roofs, marauding gangs of armed Settlers, army patrols during the day, or at night with search-lights, army raids - particularly in the night, guns being fired and “sound-grenades” being thrown around to terrorise people. ...

Findings - We found the youngsters were afraid to use outdoor recreational facilities, such as a tarmac football pitch next to the school, as it attracts gunfire from the Settlement and confrontations with the army patrols. We couldn’t find suitable alternative indoor recreational facilities in the town. I interviewed a youngster aged 7 or 8 who recently had been abducted by the army and held for many hours in the local army building, while they tried to bribe him to become an informer. We were told this happened a lot. I filmed one of the aggressive military patrol through the town and interviewed locals who told me they can happen upto five times a day, or at night. I was stopped at gun-point by soldiers when walking back to the town one night."

Please support the people of Marda by giving your backing to projects like the Bristol Computers 4 Palestine project. The people of Palestine need the support of ordinary people like you. The smallest of donations can make a difference to somebody.

Links:

edwardhill1@yahoo.co.uk

International Women’s Peace Service (IWPS) www.iwps.info

Bristol Computers 4 Palestine project. http://www.bristolcomputers4palestine.co.uk/

Zaytoun is an ethical business importing & selling fair-trade Palestinian olive oil in the UK.
www.zaytoun.org