Author: Khadija Asmar
Asmar, Khadija, 2020 The impact of the Israeli Separation Wall on Palestinian livelihoods in the West Bank, Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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Since 1948 Palestinians and the land of Palestine have experienced a series of changes, challenges and restrictions which have affected all sectors of Palestinian life. When Israel was established in 1948, it covered 33 percent of the territory of historic Palestine. After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel occupied the remaining parts of Palestine and controlled the land and Palestinians. Since that time, Israel has been carrying out practices that violate human rights in the Palestinian territories, such as confiscation of land, demolitions, and political imprisonment against Palestinians. These practices by the Israeli occupation have led to resistance from the Palestinian side against Israel. As a result of this resistance, the Israeli government decided to build a wall in the West Bank to separate the Palestinian territories from the Israeli areas. To understand how the Wall affected Palestinians in the West Bank, this thesis reviews literature and data from international organizations such as United Nations, Amnesty International, World Bank. These data relate to the Separation Wall impact on Palestinian communities in the West Bank on both economic and social levels. Data clarify the indicators; services, agriculture, Palestinian workers in the Israeli labor market, land confiscation and the demolition of Palestinian structures, on the social level data on Palestinian displacing, family and communities relations, educational sector, permits granted to Palestinians by the Israeli government.
For a better understanding of the Wall impact, this thesis explains the Wall construction, perspectives, and goals. Based on available secondary sources this work explores how the Wall affects Palestinian communities' livelihood, social relations, and economy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Wall and the accompanying regime that includes gates, checkpoints, and permit requisition, have restricted Palestinian movements and access to other Palestinian lands or Israeli areas. Although the Israeli government’s promoted aim is to provide security to Israeli areas by building the Wall to prevent Palestinian attacks, this thesis uncovers the different hidden aims beyond the Wall construction by exploring the Wall’s negative impacts on the Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and the Palestinian response and adaptation to the Wall construction and its impact.
Keywords: West Bank, livelihood, Separation Wall, Palestinians, Social impact, Israel, Palestine, East Jerusalem.
Subject: International Studies thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2020
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Susanne Schech