(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Israeli bulldozers early Tuesday resumed construction of the separation wall near Beit Jala, south of Jerusalem, even though the High Court of Justice had invalidated the building of the barrier in that region and ordered the state to reconsider it.
Israeli Haaretz reported today that heavy equipment came to the area and uprooted olive trees and earthwork in preparation for the barrier's construction in the Cremisan Valley, between the city of Beit Jala and the settlement of Har Gilo and the village of Walaja.
The newspaper revealed that after nine years of legal proceedings, the High Court of Justice in April accepted a petition against the route of the barrier that had been filed by landowners, the Walaja town council and the Roman Catholic Cremisan Monastery and its related convent.
If Israel completes the construction of this wall section, it will close off the area in the face of Palestinian land owners in Beit Jala city; in addition to isolating the Cremisan Valley area from its surroundings, and ultimately, hindering Palestinians from accessing it again in the future. The wall, if constructed, will also cause grave damage to the lands where tens of Olive trees are threatened of uprooting and consequently affecting an essential source of livelihood for tens of Palestinian families in Beit Jala city, Haaretz said.
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