According to the United Nations more than 7 thousand Palestinians have restricted access to their lands and hospitals. The International Court of Justice declared the wall illegal in 2004. For Saeb Erekat, who leads Palestinian Authority negotiations with Israel, the barrier is "21st century colonization".

Tel Aviv (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The UN has condemned the wall built by Israel around the West Bank. According to a report prepared by OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), the Palestinians have restricted access to hospitals in East Jerusalem, ambulances are delayed by roadblocks and many farmers can not reach their lands that are beyond the wall.

Israel began building the "security barrier" in 2002, having suffered several suicide attacks. Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of the International Court of Justice ruling that declared the barrier illegal. The Israelis continue to ignore the ruling and claim it is necessary to ensure their safety, showing that suicide bombings have been drastically reduced. Tel Aviv has already built 707 km of wall covering 61 percent of the border with the West Bank.

According to the OCHA report, more than 7 thousand Palestinians live between the fence and the “Green Line", drawn up in 1948 after the Arab-Israeli war, which separates Israel from the territories conquered even later during the Six Day War of 1967 such as the West Bank.

Many Palestinian farmers who find themselves living between the Green Line and the wall are separated from their fields. They have limited access to land through the 57 gates of the barrier which open for a few hours per day. The doors are closed at night and many also have limited access to hospitals and health facilities with ambulances arriving late to emergencies because of roadblocks.

According to Saeb Erekat, who leads Palestinian Authority negotiations with Israel, the barrier is “21st century colonization." "The wall is one of the worst examples of serious violations of international law," he adds. "It separates farmers from the land, children from schools and families from each other."

The Israeli government insists that this is only a temporary measure, but does not act accordingly. Earlier this year, while the construction of the barrier continued, Israeli officials have thought to create electronic cards for farmers to enable them to access their fields.

• israel
• palestine
• security
• barrier
• UN
• discrimination
• human
• rights