IDF razes wall dividing Jewish and Arab areas east of Jerusalem
Work starts to remove concrete barrier at Gilo built in 2002, later becoming one of the enduring symbols of the Second Intifada.
By Nir HassonWork began east of Jerusalem Monday morning to remove one of the city's enduring symbols of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, a two-meter-high concrete barrier built to separate the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo from the Arab district of Beit Jalla.
The army's home front command began the demolition at the request of Jerusalem's municipality, after security checks suggested that the wall, designed to protect Gilo residents from sniper fire, was no longer needed.
Gilo, which is beyond the Green Line but which Israel considers part of Jerusalem, was sealed off from Beit Jalla eight years ago, when the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, saw violence flare across the West Bank.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launch Operation Defensive Shield, the largest military deployment in the Palestinian territories since 1967.
"The wall was built at the time of Defensive Shield and right now we don't see a problem in getting rid of it," said Lt. Col. Hezi Ravivo, a military engineer in charge of the demolition.
During the two years between the start of the intifada in 2000 and the construction of the wall two years later, Gilo was hit regular sniper and machine gun fire, with one attack seriously wounding a Border Guard.
Today Gilo is quieter. "I don't expect the gunfire to resume," Ravivo said.
"If the need arises we can put it up again," he said, adding that in the current security climate, it would even be safe for Israeli tour guides and groups to enter Bethlehem, a major Palestinian city that lies just south of Jerusalem.
But the demolition has angered local residents, who say the army has left them exposed.
"It gave us a certain feeling of security," said Aviva Klein, who lives nearby. "I didn't feel the wall was shutting me in – I felt safe."
The army said in a statement: "The IDF will continue to protect the citizens of the State of Israel continuing to assess the changing security climate."
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A section of the concrete barrier separaing Gilo from Bait Jalla |
| Photo by: Alex Livak |
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Is this part of the negotiations that will allow Israel to use Saudi air space to attack Irans nuke sites? Abbas is to begin direct peace talks in 2 days and obama has vowed to the saudi king J'lem will be the palestinian capital. The Messiah is close at hand and the rapture is at the door. Got Jesus?
Why do I have this gut instinct that if Israel had ADDED a wall, this would have been headline news today in these media outlets?
Muslim Terrorists Palestinians took over Christian homes in Beit Jala to launch attacks on Gilo in Israel. Christians were chased out of their homes never to return!!
And they had been chased out of Bethlehem before then. Christians have a hard time in all of the disputed territories.
Tearing down the wall seems to be interpreted by the Arabs as expansionist. When you deal with neurotic persons as individuals or groups, you just can't expect them to respond as reasonable people would. Nefarious motives will always be ascribed.. How can we ever hope to settle matters with illogical people?
Not sure if this is the beginning of the "unwalled villages" clause in Ezekiel 38:11, but it seems to be so.
While we have to admit that taking down this wall is a step in the right direction, its timing is extremely biased and one-sided: it should have been taken down much earlier, when the resistance fighters sent by the PA were still in Beit Jalla, aiming to eliminate some criminal settlers. This would have created some balance and would have advanced the cause of justice. Now, after crushing the forces of progress, and a criminal PA in place that actively prevents armed resistence, the only ones to benefit from the removal of the wall are the zionists!
Are you the famous historian? If so, I love your work.
It is on the top of a hill. It was only a wall INSIDE of the security barrier. It was never permanently in the ground. On the other side of it, down the hill, rests the real security barrier. Start removing this and then you have done something.
No sooner had Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967 than it unilaterally extended the city boundary to take in a large swathe of Bethlehem and Ramallah governorates. Obviously this is not something an occupying army can do legally, because it runs counter to the international law that territory cannot be acquired by force. However, this is Israel and they'll do anything if there's a chance of free land. (Only a small part of it was 'purchased'). So they seized it illegally and built (also illegally) the big Jew-only settlements of Neve Ya'akov, Pisgat Ze'ev, Givat Ze'ev, Ramot and so on - including Gilo. It sits in the northern part of Bethlehem governorate. An occupying power cannot seize and settle land, so it will have to give it back. All that building and all these subsidies to settlers, to no end purpose! However, it will now almost certainly now be ceded to Israel as part of the final deal, proving that breaking international law on three or more counts pays. Well at least it does if you're Israel and the benign USA blocks each and every move to hold you to account in the international court.
From whom was this land "occupied"? What power did international law recognize as sovereign in those areas before the Six-Day War? That is, to whom should we be giving it "back"? And how much of teh land was on the Israeli side of no-man's land to begin with? Which of these "settlements" are "Jew-only"? Are the Arab houses in these "settlements" Zionst fronts for foreign consumption?
The residents of Gilo should not feel safe only by hiding behind a concrete wall. Their sense of safety should be because they establsih good relationships with their neighbors. A first setep would be is to acknowledge that Gilo was built on confiscated Palestinian private farms that were confiscated from the residnets of beit Jala , a mostly Chrisitian town. Safety and security come with a genuine peace and not by coveting other people's farms and by building concrete walls....
1. Gilo is at the southern, not eastern, edge of Jlem city limits. Beit Jalla is farther south, not farther east, and is outside city limits. 2. The two areas are separated not by a wall but by a valley several km wide and very, very deep. 3. The wall was put up solely in Gilo after Palestinians began firing at apartments in Gilo -- a wantonact of terrorism even if apartments' tenants are Israelis.
This particular concrete wall had the sole function of countering snipers' fire. However, it was also particularly ugly. The municipality of Jerusalem asked the IDF to remove it. The IDF agreed. No conspiracies, annexation or outbreak of sudden peace.
If the sniper fire picks back up, it will be right back up tomorrow. Remove the wall in Abu Dis, then you have done something.
This particular concrete wall had the sole function of countering snipers' fire. However, it was also particularly ugly. The municipality of Jerusalem asked the IDF to remove it. The IDF agreed. No conspiracies, annexation or outbreak of sudden peace.
Ha Ha! Another land grab trick. The boundary of Jerusalem was extended to include Gilo and later Har Homar . Pity they aren]t taking down the walls around Cremisan and Walajah accross the valley from Gilo. Instead they are sealing us off!
If they put a wall you call it locking you in ghettos and if they remove the wall you call it a land grab.
The IDF shoud build a Wall protecting the Palestinian lifes from the Israeli Settlers....U cannot protect Only the Israelis and let the settlers attack Innocent Pal...
Who writes these headlines? Beit Jallah is not East Jerusalem so the wall has nothing to do with dividing East and West Jerusalem. It was a security wall, plain and simple, which is exactly how the story was written in the original Hebrew. Why do you need to make up new and erroneous headlines for a translation service?
The article says east OF Jerusalem, not East Jerusalem. Keyword: OF.
Why does it matter?
My ancestors lived here and I was born here before Lieberman and his likes left Moldova. I am native and he is not. Our lands were expropriated and given to our persecutors. They said serve in the army and I did..yet the discrimination continued and if Israel couldn't make peace with me who would they make peace with?
don't expect any sympathy from anyone. The worlds best seller, the bible, documents Israel's historical eternal right of possession to the land of Israel. Any attempt of any other books that may differ with this historical account of history are not valid. Only the Torah foretells' both the destruction and rebirth of the nation of Israel. We all know that Israel is the only legal heir to her own land, the only nation to do so, and the only nation that the bible so prophecies.
I am sorry you have been discriminated against. Good for you for serving in the army. I hope by our children's or grandchildren's time we are all coexisting happily. I still think you are better off as an Israeli - no matter what you're religion or ethnicity.
sad to see people yet believe in childish"fairy tales" in the 21st. century!
your posts are promoting the view that there is something in Zionism that makes people insane and devoid of all empathy for other people
YOU dont know how grateful you should be thank your LUCKY stars youre free to post here if you were under PA you would not live to see your silly words you are native? behave like one and respect your homeland - ISRAEL if youre uncomfortable and choose PA authority to live under be my guest Yalla move on
What palestinian land?
I wonder sometimes how could the Palestinian make peace with Israelis like No.2, who likes his former Prime minester Gholda Meir do not beleive that there is a Palestinian People who were deprived and displaced from their native homeland on baseless alegation that this land used to belong to the Jewesh people 2500 years ago, I do not think a small child will buy such a commodity
Golda was a black page in israeli history.
Israel can't be trusted. This is another Israeli trick to fool the west.
Read the article before posting idiocies.
You hardly speak for 'the west', but I like the "me and the world" points people use.
with the Palestinian Authority to raise security in the area. There is a possibility that extremists funded by Iran and Hamas will resume targeting Israel citizens once the wall is removed THUS hindering the overall peace process. Remember what happened with Gaza when Israel unilaterally withdrew without any plans or consulting with the PA eventhough it was a good gesture by Israel. When the rockets started falling on Israel from Gaza the overall Israeli citizens felt back-stabbed and the peace process stalled.
neighbourhoods still stands as far as I know.
Especially for the headline writer: Gilo is at the southern, not the eastern, extreme of Jerusalem, and Beit Jalla is outside city limits.
Beit Jala land of course! Conveniently drawn into the Jerualem boundary and therefore not technically a settlement as far as Israeli is concerned. As for the rest of the world.....
Of course quiet a bit of land was expropriated, some justifiably and a lot not (but I believe it was paid for). But now Gilo has more than 50,000 residents. I am not endorsing the initial injustice, but we are where we are today.
"I am not endorsing the initial injustice, but we are where we are today." That's what's called 'establishing facts on the ground', while pretending to want peace. Nice. I guess that leaves the Palestinians out in the cold. Might makes right. Only Jews 'expelled' from Gaza deserve compensation and justice, right? Let's just continue to cite every injustice ever done to Jews, and be nonchalant about injustices done by Jews to other people: "we are where we are today". Congratulations
"the largest military deployment in the Palestinian territories since 1967." The palestinian territories has only existed since 19933/4, before it was Jordan.
This is not a rhetorical question, but a genuine one. Since Gilo was part of a previous expansion of the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem annexed after the 1967 War, does this mean that Beit Jalla will now be annexed as well? If so, this is not such great news for Palestinians--who are notably voiceless in this article.
It did not stop them trying to "liberate " it b continually firing at Israeli civillian, repeat Israeli civillians ie non combattants. If they wanted to expand it would make much more sense to build first and continue to protect the civillians of Gilo from snipers meanwhile. Hope this been of help to you.
if thats the case lets pull down all the walls and annex the entire LAND OF ISRAEL!!!!!!
...can't imagine that the folks of Beit Jalla would ever acquiesce to any such annexation... they have nothing in common with the West Jerusalem regime... their Pal integrity is intact...
beit jalla is palestinian and of course it will NOT be annexed. you have 0 knowledge in geography. palestinian should be voiceless in this article, or at least the only voice should be an apology for terrorizing civilians.
We have many dunams of land with olive trees and fruit trees in the valley below Gilo, called Wadi Ahmad. All of us have been told we cannot have access any more as we are "absentee landlords! although we are only a few hundred metres away. Are you sure ALL the land of Gilo was purchased?
how courageous of you to speak out what we are afraid of and sometimes haunts us in our dreams!
does this mean that Beit Jalla will now be annexed as well?
The rest of the mountain down to and including Wadi Ahmad has already been annexed so no need for this particular wall any more!
Since Gilo was part of a previous expansion of the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem annexed after the 1967 War, does this mean that Beit Jalla will now be annexed as well?
...those accusing Israel of "apartheid" apologize now for what they have called us, Israelis? Unless, of course, the lives of Jews are of no value to them and Jewish babies as Jewish elderly are legitimate targets in the course of the "resistance"...??
on the other side of the green line
to suggest that the very first of all human rights, the right to live and protect one's life, does not apply to Jews...?? I look forward for your choice of words, e.g. racism, anti-Jewish racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Jewish, bigotry. Thank you. Jehudah Ben-Israel, Qatzrin Israel
of course jews have a right to live and protect their lives, but they do not have a right to seize another peoples' land and create a jewish STATE there. Duh. If Iranians moved en-masse into tel aviv and stationed iranian soldiers their to protect the iranian colonists (etc etc) you'd be OK with that? this hand-wringing "oh why oh why can't jews be allowed to live" argument is absurd as you apply it here, and also another cheap use of the victim card. shame on you
That land is disputed territory and subject to negotiated agreement to which you and other libero-fascist bloggers will not be party.
our men and even some women would throw rockets at the iranians, of course!
Does this include the women and children eating pizza at Sbarros. Does this include the slaughter at the Park Hotel in Natanya. What about the suicide bombing at Mikes Cafe and the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv. The hundreds killed in buses all pn the other side of the green line. Or maybe you think that all these areas are not over the green line and are part of the "occupied teritories" Tam dont let the facts confuse you when you post your jihadist propaganda on an Israeli newspaper.
Whether it goes back up again will depend upon the so-called Palestinians.
Of course you don't believe in endangering yourself, only others.