Israel’s Army General Mickey Levy, head of the Israeli police force in Jerusalem, confirmed his government’s plan to build a three meter high separation wall cutting off what Israel considers as ‘West Bank neighborhoods’ from those across the street that are under the Israeli Jerusalem municipality.

The wall will start at Beit Hanina, 7 kilometers south of Ramallah, and will stretch along the main road separating residents on the left side of the road from those across the street. According to the Israeli map some 60,000 Jerusalem residents living on the eastern side of the main road will be forced to travel north through Qalandya’s military checkpoint then west and finally south in order to reach Jerusalem. Another military checkpoint will also be erected at the entrance of the town of Bir Nabala and its neighboring five villages, home to at least 25000 Palestinians.

Many complications are sure to arise as the western side of the wall will be a one-way road heading north forcing all residents on the eastern side of the wall to travel through at least two military checkpoints in an opposite direction when attempting to travel five kilometers south to Jerusalem.

Building on occupied land is a grave violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention which clearly states that an occupier should not make any changes to the land they occupy whether through building a wall or settlements. Even President Bush, who has been sympathetic to recent Israeli military operations, condemning Israel’s latest land theft stating that “there is a difference between security and land acquisition.”

The construction of the separation wall has been opposed by the international community and the “Quartet” as a violation that goes against the creation of a viable Palestinian state and therefore an obstacle in the way of peace. A General Assembly UN resolution condemning the wall was recently passed with an overwhelming majority, yet Israel seems relentless in its efforts to build the illegal barrier.