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July 9, 2004/Tamuz 20 5764, Vol. 56, No.42
Palestinians rue hardships from fence
GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
BAKA AL-GHARBIYA, Israel - The home of Nidal Hussein in Baka a-Sharkiya is only 100 yards away, but it took him several days and more than 100 miles to get to the eastern outskirts of Baka al-Gharbiya, the Israeli twin of the Palestinian town.
A 20-foot-high wall, the new de facto border between Israel and the West Bank, blocks Hussein's access to his home.
For years, Hussein worked in Israel proper and returned home every evening. However, for the past six months - since Israel erected the wall following several years of intensified Palestinian terrorist attacks - he no longer can get there so easily.
Desperate for work, Hussein finds roundabout ways to get from his West Bank town to Israel.
A month ago he managed to enter Israel through Jerusalem. After several weeks spent looking for occasional manual jobs, he relaxed with relatives in Baka al-Gharbiya, just across the wall from his residence.
"They won't let me return home through the checkpoint because I did not come in legally," he said. "In other words, I am stuck in the middle."
The International Court of Justice at The Hague is set to rule on the legality of the security fence today (Friday, July 9). Though Palestinians say the fence imposes hardships on their lives, Israeli officials argue that it has reduced drastically the number of suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks in Israel.
Israel has said it will not abide by the court's decision, arguing that the Jewish state hardly can expect a fair hearing before a U.N.-affiliated court that includes several judges from Arab countries who have expressed their dislike for Israel.
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