Palestinian village becomes prison for residents

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.