The Occupation Forces refuse to let the people of Qaffin, as in other villages, from using cars or trucks through the gates in order to transport their produce, so people use animal-run carts to carry their harvests. In attempts to sell and market their crops, farmers are finding it hard, if not impossible, as the market prices have dropped to a severe low; at times, and once the painful and humiliating task of crossing the gates and bringing the fruits to sell has taken place, sales are an entirely insufficient source of income.

The Apartheid Wall in Qaffin is encircling the village from the west and southwest, having destroyed for its path alone 500 dunums while isolating 6500 dunums from the agricultural lands of the village, as Qaffin has now lost all of its lands and farms. In Qaffin village there are two gates in the Apartheid Wall with their so-called stated purpose, as per the Occupation, to be used by Palestinians to reach their lands; in fact, the Occupation maintains the gates shut at all times with only few exceptions as those with Occupation “permits” have infrequent “access”. The majority of the people in Qaffin must travel far, to the Apartheid Wall gate located on Zeita village lands, if they want to access their own lands, yet still contingent upon Occupation “permission” to cross the gate in Zeita.

The Apartheid Wall and its gates are concretizing the farmers’ loss of all their lands and main source of income. As long as the gates, as an integral part of the Apartheid Wall and its associated policies, remain in tact, lands will be destroyed and dried up, annexed, confiscated, and settlements expanding on them, which is already taking place in various areas in the Wall’s “first phase”.