A view of the Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam. (Luay Sababa, Maan Images)

This article was originally published by Palestine News Network and is republished with permission.

To the northeast of Jerusalem's city center in the Palestinian suburb of 'Anata, Israeli bulldozers are already busy at work. Despite the protests of local residents, Israeli forces are constructing the separation wall to run around 'Anata, cutting the whole town off from the rest of Jerusalem.

This means that 18,000 people in 'Anata will be denied access to basic services they normally obtain in East Jerusalem. In addition, residents of the area will be cut off from 32,000 dunams of their land once the wall is completed.

The President of the town council, Mohammad Hassan 'Allan, explains that this will lead to catastrophic consequences for the inhabitants of 'Anata. "The land is the only source of livelihood for these people. Without access to it they will have no employment and no income," he told PNN on Monday.

"The population will also be unable to attend prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque and they will be socially segregated from their relatives and friends on the other side of the wall," he added.

Upon completion of the wall, 'Anata will be hemmed in on all sides. The only open access to the town will be from the east, via the West Bank.

Related stories Illusions built on domestic necessities Small Palestinian village faces slow death In praise of Palestinian steadfastness Sixty years ago in Battir Manifest Destiny?

Residents of 'Anata wishing to travel to their city of Jerusalem will have to pass through the Israeli military checkpoint at Shuafat refugee camp, which is closed to all Palestinians except those in possession of special permits.

'Alan is also fearful of the damage the wall will cause to local traders. "Israeli authorities refuse to allow local factories, carpenters, blacksmiths and other traders to send their goods outside the region." 'Allan also cites the removal of access to health care and education as evidence of the wall's illegality in 'Anata. "There is no higher education in the town, no hospitals and only one health clinic," he told PNN. "One Palestinian woman has already been forced to give birth at the Shuafat checkpoint as Israeli soldiers would not let her through to the hospital in Jerusalem."

Alongside the damage caused by the wall itself, 'Anata residents have also submitted protests concerning Israeli highways 45 and 70 which cut through land in the 'Anata area in order to connect Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank to the Jerusalem area. It is forbidden for Palestinians to travel on these highways.

Half of the 'Anata district is classified by the Israelis as a "peaceful suburb" within the city limits of occupied Jerusalem. This means that half the residents carry the blue Jerusalem identity cards, while the other half holds West Bank identity cards. Upon completion of the wall, however, the whole district will be cut off from Jerusalem.

As the inhabitants of 'Anata prepare to mount a legal case against the Israeli authorities, they will argue that the Jerusalem municipality is neglecting its responsibility of providing water, education and health care to those inhabitants with the blue Jerusalem cards. Israeli forces will not issue permits for Palestinians to work on the infrastructure themselves: permits are required, which the Israelis will not issue.