Qalqilya 2008 Schedule

Qalqiliya, Palestine

Apartheid in Palestine – Economic Strangulation of a city

Where: Open al-Quds University

Action: Day of Action

11:00am – 1:00pm: Presentation “The Apartheid Wall since 2002 – 2008” by Suhail Salman (Stop the Wall grassroots coordinator)

1.30 pm: Opening of photo exhibit in the corridors of the university done by Stop the Wall volunteers.

3:00 pm: Students will be presenting their research on the economic situation in Qalqiliya after it has been completely isolated by the Apartheid Wall. Following open discussion between Suhail Salman and the students to strategize about student activism in al-Quds Open University

When: February 11

Organized by: Stop the Wall activists, Students’ Council Open al-Quds University Qalqiliya

Contact details: global@stopthewall.org

Background:

The West Bank district of Qalqilya is located east of Nablus , near the green line. The district is made up of 96,000 people, 40,000 of whom live in Qalqilya city. The Wall surrounds the city on three sides with the fourth side controlled by an Occupation checkpoint. Often the checkpoint will be arbitrarily closed, leaving people stranded on both sides.

The Wall has crippled the social and economic life of the district. Before its construction Qalqilya was a thriving business center, mostly due to is proximity to the green line, and had strong links with Palestinian communities living inside the 1948 lines. Since the enclosure of the area, Qalqilya has seen unemployment rise to 67% of the working-age population. Many people have left Qalqilya to look for work in other parts of the West Bank .

Students living in the district have also suffered under the Occupation. When the gate to the district is closed, students are barred from attending school. Incidents of abuse by Occupation soldiers have been recorded; in one instance a student was beaten unconscious for not having the proper papers.

Despite this continuing assault, students in the area continue to work against the Occupation. The boycott movement has been taken up in the university leading to the removal of all Israeli products from the cafeteria. The students have also been active in Izbit at-Tabib, a village that the Occupation has threatened to raze.

The students in Qalqilya have also created a photo presentation highlighting the effects of the Wall on the community. The Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign has facilitated trips to other West Bank universities. This has created a number of solidarity links between Qalqiliya and other universities, and students now engage in joint strikes and protests.