The Palestinian village of Beit Iksa is located 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) northwest of Jerusalem, and rises 670 meters (2,200 feet) above sea level. It links the city of Ramallah to Jerusalem, and is bordered by five Palestinian villages — namely, Biddu, Beit Surik, Nabi Samwil, Lifta and Qalunya — and is only 200 meters (656 feet) from the lands Israel occupied in 1948, which are now inside the Green Line. Its residents feel trapped in a large prison surrounded by Israeli settlements.

According to an article published in 2009 by the Israeli Haaretz newspaper, the Israeli government decided in 2006 to keep the village of Beit Iksa on the Palestinian side of the separation wall, even though according to the original route of the wall, the village is supposed to be on the Israeli side.

Murad al-Kiswani, a member of the Beit Iksa village council, told Al-Monitor, “Beit Iksa extends over an area of 14,500 dunams [3,583 acres] and is inhabited by 1,800 people who are only allowed to build houses on an area of ​​650 dunams [161 acres] at a time; 13,850 dunams [3,422 acres] have been confiscated by the occupation forces.”

He said, “Since its occupation in 1967, the village has turned into a large prison isolated from Jerusalem and the cities of the West Bank and surrounded by the settlements of Ramot Alon, Mafi Sirte, Nitzfi Tafouh, Har Samuel and Atarot. Ever since, its residents started to migrate to neighboring areas. The number of people who migrated reached 35,000."