The town of Azzun 'Atma has come to represent the worst of the worst of
the effects of the Israeli Wall in the West Bank. The small town is in
the northwestern West Bank's Qalqilia District as is now known as one
of the “bad parts of the West Bank.”
Azzun 'Atma is surrounded, literally encircled, by the area's 700 kilometers of concrete Wall. Villagers have been trapped by the Wall and now additional illegal Israeli settlement expansion from Ornit and Sha'arei Tikva settlements is designed to wreak additional havoc.
Azzun 'Atma residents cannot reach the rest of the West Bank expect for through one infrequently open gate, and cannot go into 1948 areas under the pretext of car theft. With this, the village is completely isolated from the outside world, accessed only through the main gate of the village that may or may not be open.
Village Juma Awad said, “Protests were held against the establishment of a new Wall section that isolates several houses in the village and the owners become isolated from the village. The first is between the settlements and the second is between the village and the gate. This didn't happen in South Africa where human racism was embodied.”
The Azzun 'Atma Village Council fired off several SOS letters to save their town from dying under the Wall and the consequences thereof. Coordinator of Farmers, Amjad Omar, told PNN, “For nearly three years we have been isolated from the outer perimeter and not allowed to enter or exit. It required special permission from the Israelis.”
Omar questioned the possible explanation for such isolation. “What is the motive for the erection of the Wall dividing the village in two, both parts entirely isolated so that no one can access the other side without permits.”
He explained, “The Israeli decision which is Number 78, effectively aims to force the people of the village to leave their land and their village after already enduring closure. So many measures have been imposed to crush them. We ask that humanitarian bodies intervene to save the people from such tragedy.”
Village Council Secretary Abdul Karim Ayud said that the latest Israeli decision isolates another 10 residential houses, housing some 70 people, from the rest of the village. Additionally thousands of acres are being confiscated by closure in full view of his colleague, Amjad Omar, who said, “The goal is displacement, looting, and land confiscation.”
