IPSC Protest: 5th Anniversary of ICJ ruling against Israel's Apartheid Wall

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Thursday July 09, 2009 23:00 by Freda - IPSC (personal capacity) info at ipsc dot ie 01 6770253

Today, Thursday 9th July, about 50 members and supporters of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) held a loud and lively two hour demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in Ballsbridge. Protesters chanted pro-Palestinian slogans and formed a ‘human wall’ at the gates of the embassy to symbolise the Apartheid Wall under construction by the Israeli government in the West Bank since 2002. Gardai informed the organisers that the embassy staff had all been given a half day due to the planned demonstration outside, meaning that the IPSC successfully closed down the embassy for half a day.

Protesters wall off the embassy gate, while Diarmuid recites his poem.

Five years ago, on 9th July 2004, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's construction of the Wall in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) to be "contrary to international law". The Court went on to order Israel to "cease forthwith the works of construction of the wall" and "dismantle forthwith the structure" already built.

It also called on Israel to "make reparations" for the "requisition and destruction of homes, businesses and agricultural holdings" and "to return the land, orchards, olive groves, and other immovable property seized" to construct the wall.

Five years on, Israel still refuses to comply, and continues to build the Wall.

Martin O'Quigley, IPSC Treasurer, said, “What has happened since construction of the Wall began has continued unabated, indeed even accelerated. Land confiscation and the destruction of Palestinian homes is a regular occurrence in the West Bank. Over a million olive and fruit trees have been destroyed. Palestinians have been separated from their land and from each other. Communities in Jerusalem have been divided by a 24ft high Wall."

Mr. Quigley continued: "Resistance to the wall has been growing and in the village of Bil'in - a farming village near Ramallah - non-violent resistance to the Wall continues. Bil'in has lost 20% of its land already and 60% of the rest has been sealed off. The Friends of Freedom and Justice and The Popular Committee in Bi'lin organise non-violent protests every Friday despite constant raids and harassment by the Israeli military.”

Referring to the fact that the embassy had closed early to avoid the protest, Raymond Deane, IPSC Cultural Boycott Officer, said, “Today we shut down the Israeli Embassy. Tomorrow we'll shut down Israel's Apartheid regime”

The demonstration concluded with a poem entitled “The New Wailing Wall”, penned and read by Diarmuid Breatnach. Below is an excerpt from the poem.

"There's a new Wailing Wall:
It's in Gaza, and here mothers and fathers wail
at the bloody bodies of their children;
children wail at the bloody bodies of parents;
all wail over the bodies of friends and neighbours;
the wailing rises and the tears fall."

The IPSC would like to sincerely thank everybody who came along to support this important action.

Protesters outside the Israeli Embassy

Remember the Children of Palestine banner, created by Adele J King

Protesters outside the Israeli Embassy

Martin O'Quigley, IPSC Treasurer