Letter sent to Bush, Lieberman, Dodd, and Larson. Also posted on various IMC sites.
Dear Senator Lieberman,

Building a Wall on a Neighbors’s Land

Today is the second day of hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the legality of the separation wall inside Palestinian occupied territory. In America it is illegal to build even a tiny wall or fence on a neighbor’s property. Building a huge, ugly wall would be preposterous.

The continued funding with American taxes of the many illegal and inhumane activities of the Israeli government is appalling to most of the civilized world, and it certainly is not in our best long-term interest.

I hope that you can speak out on these serious issues. Below is a new report from B’Tselem, that can lead to a better understanding of on-the-ground facts.

Sincerely, Guy Blais
Windsor, CT 06095
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Village of Sheikh Sa'ed

New B'Tselem report--February 24, 2004

Over 25 percent of Sheikh Sa'ad residents forced to leave their homes; construction of the Separation Barrier along the planned route – an expulsion order for the remaining residents

In its new report, B'Tselem describes the isolation of Sheikh Sa'ad from Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the consequences for the residents if the Separation Barrier is built according to current plans.

The village of Sheikh Sa'ad is part of the contiguous urban area of East Jerusalem. The village is not connected to the rest of the West Bank, and is only accessible through Jabal Mukabar, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Blocked entrance to the village of Sheikh Sa'ed, 4 February, 2004

In September 2002, the IDF blocked the only road leading to the village with piles of dirt and concrete blocks. Since then, it has been impossible to enter or leave the village by vehicle. In order to leave the village on foot, those residents who do not have Jerusalem IDs must have a permit. Most of the requests for permits are denied.

Since the roadblock was set up, 25-30 percent of the residents have left their homes in the village. The planned route of the Separation Barrier in the area will block the only road leading to the village with an eight-meter-high wall. The building of the wall will force the residents to choose between living as prisoners in their village or leaving their homes.

Isolation, house demolitions, expropriation of land, and an inability to live a normal life are the practical results of the current route of the separation barrier. For a year and a half, B'Tselem has warned about the violations of human rights and international law resulting from the construction of the separation barrier along the route approved by the Israeli government. Had the government addressed B'Tselem's concerns, Israel might have avoided the discussion before the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

In the Sheikh Sa'ad area, the government still has time to fix its mistakes regarding the planning of the separation barrier, and prevent unnecessary suffering of Palestinian residents of the area, avoid the expense of having to move the barrier in the future, and reduce international criticism.

B'Tselem demands that the Israeli government immediately remove the siege on the village of Sheikh Sa'ad and enable its residents to enter East Jerusalem, and refrain from building a physical barrier that will separate the village from East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank.
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Update on the killing of Palestinian and Israeli children, age 17 and under, since September 29, 2000, the start of the first Intifada, through January 2004.

Palestinian children killed: 449
Israeli children killed: 78
This data is available at www.betselem.org/
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