In 2002 the official construction of the Apartheid Wall began and marked the systematic and concerted effort by Israel to create a physical barrier between Palestinians and Israelis.  The Wall (also referred to as the “fence” or “security fence” by Israeli officials) which Israel is currently building in the northeast of the West Bank, as well as in the Bethlehem and Jerusalem areas, does not mark the 1967 border. Rather, the Apartheid Wall cuts through some of the most fertile land in the West Bank and is the newest example of Israel’s policies of annexation of lands, destruction of Palestinian agriculture and property, and violation of human rights. When completed, the wall will de facto annex some 47% of the West Bank and isolating communities into Bantustans, ghettos and “military zones. When the wall is completed, the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including 1.7 million refugees, will be living on only 12% of mandate Palestine.

As noted above, Israeli officials will frequently make mention of the “security fence.”  However, the concrete wall that is present in Bethlehem, Qalqiliya, parts of Tulkarem and throughout the Jerusalem envelope is 8 meters high, twice the height of the Berlin Wall. In addition it is armed with watchtowers and a “buffer zone” 30-100 meters wide for electric fences, trenches, cameras, sensors and military patrol.