Members from the Students for Justice in Palestine raised a 20-foot-high wall in Red Square on Wednesday to protest the 400 -mile wall being built by Israel around the West Bank.

Students rallied to oppose the wall that would encircle parts of the Palestinian territory, arguing that half of the walled-in land would be annexed to Israel. Protesters maintained that the annexed land would result in severe economic and social implications for Palestinians in the West Bank and that U.S. tax dollars to Israel support the wall’s construction.

Samer Oweida (SFS ’04), an executive board member of Students for Justice in Palestine, said that the goal of the protest was to raise awareness and stimulate discussion on “this breach of international law and barrier to peace.”

Oweida said that the protest had been very successful. “Many people were supportive. It was important to get our message out because there hasn’t been enough debate on the topic,” Oweida said.

The mock wall, displaying the Palestinian and Israeli flags on opposite sides and held up by two students, read “U.S. Tax $ à Israel’s Wall on Palestinian Land = Barrier to Peace and Oppression” on one side. “Stop the Land Grab” appeared on the opposite side.

Students dressed as Israeli soldiers stood along the wall, which also served as a mock “military checkpoint.” The students asked all passersby to show their IDs.

Students portraying everyday Palestinians attempted to cross from “Occupied Palestine” onto the Israel side but were rudely turned away by the guards. One young pregnant woman attempted to cross to get to the hospital on the other side but was subjected to accusations of carrying a bomb. Another woman, attempting to cross to harvest crops – calling them her “only source of income” – was dismissed as a “security threat” by the soldiers.

Several students around Red Square held signs that read “Illegal Wall in Violation of the Geneva Convention” and “Israel’s apartheid wall will trap 1,500,000 Palestinians in the largest prison on earth!”

The protest was met with opposition from the Georgetown Israeli Alliance.

Max Rosenthal (COL ’06) held up his own sign that read, “On the other side of that fence is a suicide bomber.”

“That wall is a lie,” Rosenthal said. “I’ve seen the wall and it’s really only about waist-high.”

Students for Justice in Palestine argued that the Israeli wall violated the Geneva Convention, but Rosenthal defended Israeli’s right to build the wall and highlighted violations by Palestinians.

“If anything, there are worse violations on the side of Palestine,” Rosenthal said. “Everyday, suicide bombers destroy the lives of many innocent civilians.”

Another student, his head wrapped in a kaffiyeh, a Palestinian head dressheaddress, held a sign that read “If I were a Palestinian suicide bomber, you would be dead by now. That’s why we’re building the wall.”

The protest sparked debate around Red Square from students on both sides and among those who were undecided, including Hamsa Rajan (SFS ’04).

“This protest was an effective way to gain attention,” she said. “However, their reasons for opposing the wall are not as clear. It seems like just a lot of general facts.”

While the protest may have grabbed attention, Rajan said the protest did not change her opinion on the situation in the West Bank.

Oweida said the best way for students to educate themselves was to do research on the United Nations’ Web site and to research the Israeli groups Gush-shalom and B’tselem, which both support rights in Palestinian territories.

Oweida also said that he strongly opposes the suicide bombing tactics frequently used by Palestinian militants.

“If the goal is to stop suicide bombing,” Oweida said, “building the wall will not de-radicalize people.”