B'Tselem 21 March 2006
Sheikh Sa’ed is a neighborhood of the larger village of Sawahra. However, Sheikh Sa’ed is in West Bank, while the western part of Sawahra was annexed to East Jerusalem in 196. Israel planned to build the Separation Barrier between Sheikh Sa’ed and the rest of the village, which would cut off the neighborhood’s only access road to the outside world.
The Tel-Aviv Magistrate’s Court voided this portion of the Separation Barrier, ruling that it would cause disproportionate harm to the daily lives of the neighborhood’s residents. The court rejected the state’s argument that the residents constituted a security threat, and recommended that the barrier be built east of the neighborhood, in a way that enables the residents to gain access to East Jerusalem.
The action was filed by the Sheikh Sa’ed Neighborhood Committee and five residents of the village, who were represented by attorney Ghaith Nasser.
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