Palestinians Demolish Part of Separation Wall
A group of 20 Palestinians drilled a hole in the separation wall near Jerusalem to reconnect two Palestinian villages.
On Friday night, May 16, a group of 20 Palestinians drilled a hole in the wall at the Abu Dis checkpoint, betwen the villages of al-Ezzariya and Abu Dis, and broke it down to enter the Ras il-Amood neighborhood in Jerusalem.
Video footage shows protesters using a sledgehammer to break through the concrete wall and tearing the metal beams.
The reaction from the Israeli army was predictably frantic and disproportionate. Live ammunition was fired at the protesters, in addition to sound bombs and shock grenades. The hole in the wall expanded to four meters, and according to Salah Khawaja, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority Ministry of State concerning Israeli settlements and Apartheid Wall Affairs, at least three people crossed to Jerusalem and made their way to al-Aqsa Mosque for evening prayers.
Abu Dis and Ras il-Amood used to be adjacent towns before the wall divided them, splitting neighbors and relatives from each other as well as multiplying distances and difficulty in reaching one area from another.
