New Israeli barrier will slice through precious West Bank farmland

"The death knell for the Palestinian village of Atouf, on the western slopes of the Jordan valley, arrived in the form of a trail of paper, a series of eviction notices taped to homes, greenhouses and wells, marking a straight line across the open fields. The notices, which appeared overnight, informed the local farmers that their land would be confiscated and that they had seven days from the date of their delivery, 4 December, to vacate their properties."

"A military road and accompanying barrier was to be built by Israel right through the area. Lawyers for the Atouf village council have lodged an appeal, but long and bitter experience has taught Palestinians here to have low expectations of Israeli courts. The Israeli military can do anything they like. They don't care about the law or anything else, said Ismael Bsharat, a local farmer."

"And this week it became clear that this abrupt gash across Palestinian land was the first section of a new line of division that would redraw the map of the West Bank. This week, Israel's defence ministry made clear that this would mark only the first section of a new 5.5bn-shekel (1.3bn) barrier that will eventually run 300 miles, from the Golan Heights on the Syrian border to the north all the way down to the Red Sea near Eilat. Labelled Crimson Thread by the Israeli military, the barrier will split countless Palestinian communities along its route."

Eviction notices appeared overnight across Atouf, taped to homes, greenhouses and wells, notifying farmers of land confiscation and giving seven days to vacate. A military road and barrier is planned to run through the village. Local lawyers lodged appeals but villagers expect little relief from Israeli courts. Similar notices traced a 14-mile strip of farmland and mark the initial section of a larger 5.5bn-shekel project slated to run 300 miles from the Golan Heights to the Red Sea. The barrier, labelled Crimson Thread, will split Palestinian communities; the army cites security while activists accuse it of land seizure.

Read at www.theguardian.com