Separation Walls

In 2002 during the 2nd Intifada, the construction of Separation barriers commenced, ostensibly framed as a means to safeguard Israel's citizens and settlements. These barriers, stretching over 700 meters and towering up to 8 meters in height [1], now serve as a glaring symbol of occupation for Palestinians. They function as apartheid walls, enforcing racial segregation among Arab populations, severing familial ties, disrupting access to ministries of education, and encroaching upon agricultural fields cultivated for years with a main goal of disrupting their daily lives. Despite the International Court of Justice and the United Nations General Assembly declaring these Separation walls a violation of international law in 2003[2], the occupying force persists in expanding beyond the initial 1967 borders. The walls have evolved into instruments of annexation, perpetuating the disruption of Palestinian lands.[3] Human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have also raised concerns about the long-term impact of these barrier on the rights and livelihoods of Palestinians.[4]

For Palestinians, these walls embody the daily struggle of occupation, forcing them to navigate dehumanizing checkpoints for passage between the two sides. Access to different parts of the West Bank entails enduring arduous queues and subjected searches, with no assurance of entry at the journey's end.

In response, the walls have become a canvas for silent protests, as Palestinians express their struggles and showcase key figures of resistance movements through vibrant murals adorning the monolithic surfaces as symbol of hope that these barriers will one day fall and with it the oppressive system they have endured.