Internationals Demand: Keep Atira Open

Palestinians, Israelis And Internationals Demand: Keep Atira Open

For Immediate Release Contact: Molly 0599943157 August 11, 2007

On Sunday August 12th, beginning at 8 am, Palestinian residents of the West Bank village of Atira along with Israeli and international activists will protest the Israeli military's decision to close route 443, which separates the village from Ramallah. The military's decision will cause unnecessary hardship to the villagers, who rely on being able to commute to Ramallah for school and work.

At the beginning of the second intifada, the Israeli military closed the road completely, separating Atira residents from their jobs, universities and secondary schools in Ramallah. Residents were forced to take a longer, more difficult route to get to Ramallah, and what was once a journey of about a half an hour was turned into a two-hour, twice a day, commute. Roughly six months ago, the Israeli military installed a checkpoint on the road, allowing residents to pass between the hours of 7 am and 3 pm. Now, once again, the military is threatening to close access to this road completely.

The villagers of Atira will be joined by Palestinian residents of the nearby village of Bil'in, who have waged a successful, two-year, non- violent struggle against Israel's building of the apartheid wall and construction of illegal, Jewish-only settlements on village lands. Bil'in villagers have staged a weekly non-violent protest with the support of Israeli and international activists.

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