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Palestinian villagers fear Israel's separation barrier will mean death knell for their hamlet
Israel has started construction on a new section of its West Bank separation barrier that Palestinian residents say could sound a death knell for their hamlet.
The barrier, running much of the length of the West Bank, has already disrupted lives in many Palestinian towns and villages in its path. But it threatens to outright smother Walajeh: The community of about 2,000 on the southwest edge of Jerusalem is to be completely encircled by a fence cutting it off from most of its open land, according to an Israeli Defense Ministry map.
Walajeh old-timers are determined to stay, but doubt their children will feel the same way.
"We will cling to the village by our teeth," said Adel Atrash, a village council member. "But we don't know how the next generation will look at things. Maybe they won't be able to live with all the difficulties and decide to leave."