Marking the fall of the Berlin Wall, today, Palestinians tore down a section of the Apartheid Wall

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Tuesday November 10, 2009 00:23

by TD - Free Palestine Campaign

The Department of Defence and CRH are complicit in the building of the Wall

I'm happy to report that, today, on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Palestinians ably assisted by Israeli activists and "internationals" tore down a section of the obscenity called the Apartheid Wall near the IOF checkpoint of Qalandiya outside Ramallah in the West Bank. giving a much needed fillip to Palestinian morale and people of good conscience around the world. The action was noteworthy for its meticulous planning and execution which ensured jubilant success.

Before two ladders were brought to the ill-fitted slab (selected thus for its vulnerability) agile activists had already scaled it, a heavy duty strap was threaded through the eye of the concrete segment, coupled to a 3 tonne truck and then hauled to the ground, the joy was palpable once the wall was breached, then activists accompanied by some obnoxiously pushy mainstream press poured through to temporarily reclaim their stolen land with planted Palestinian flags and proclamations of: "We are going to Jerusalem," tyres were lit and some stand-alone segments were scaled to more jubilitation and infectious joy, after a slow response, the IOF announced their presence with a fusillade of tear gas grenades and aggression, a fast retreat to our waiting vehicle was the better part of valour as it was expected the IOF would subject us to live fire.

Shamefully, CRH and the Dept.of Defence aids and abets the construction of the Wall which snakes its way through 413 kilometers of the West Bank (its intended lengh is 709 kilometers) thieving Palestinian land in the process for the purpose of building illegal Israeli colonies. CRH, through Mashav, an Israeli holding company, has a 25% stake in the Nesher Cement company that provides 85% of all cement in Israel and cement for the construction of the "settlements," their concomitant infrastructure and the Wall.

Even though under International Law Ireland is obliged not to facilitate the building of the Apartheid Wall, the Dept. of Defence is allowing the installation of surveillance equipment manufactured by the Israeli Elbit Systems outfit on the newly ordered armoured cars for the Irish army - Elbit Systems supply the surveillance equipment for what the Israelis term the "Security Fence" (see Related Link).

Besides the much needed fillip, today's action points an accusing finger at the loathsome hypocritical celebrations surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 when, today, the so called "international community" is anesthetized with perverted morality and self-willed amnesia when it comes to the Apartheid Wall and Israel.?