- IMEMC


Friday, a group of Palestinian residents of Bethlehem and international peace activists held a solidarity act in the city in support of a poor resident who lost his small shop for the construction of the Israeli Annexation Wall. The shop was the only source of livelihood for the man and his family. As the army continued the construction of the Wall, the area around the man's shop was annexed and isolated because his shop is close to the already walled Rachel Tomb, which is frequently visited by religious Jews.

Troops installed a gate and closed the uncompleted section of the Wall, the owner of the shop and his costumers used to cross through the gate to reach the shop, but recently soldiers attacked him and forced him to leave the area. The purpose of Friday's protest was to enable as many residents and internationals to be able to reach the shop and buy their food from there as a means to support the man and to enable him keep his store opened.

Soldiers stationed in the area barred the residents and internationals from reaching the shop but agreed after negotiations that the man could enter the area alone, go to his shop and bring the food out to the protesters. The Annexation Wall in the OPT is being constructed in a way that enables settlement expansion, annexation of land including Palestinian orchards as well as preventing framers from reaching their remaining isolated land.