Athens for Justice in Palestine built a wall of solidarity Wednesday.

“We chose [April 15] because it’s a little before Israeli Independence Day, and it’s also before the day that Palestinians [call] Nakba,” said Aliya Naim, secretary for AJP. “Nakba is the day Palestinian’s mourn what they call the catastrophe.”

Nakba is held to remember Palestine’s defeat in the 1948 Palestinian war and the territory that Palestine lost during the conflict, she said.

AJP displayed posters in Tate Plaza detailing arguments against apartheid in Palestine. Several posters cited a decision made by the International Court of Justice in 2004, which said the construction of a dividing wall in the West Bank was against international law and that Israel was required to cease construction and dismantle it.

Construction on the wall began in 2003. The group displayed current pictures of the wall and construction that has taken place since the ruling.

“It’s a very destructive wall. It separates people from their jobs and from their families,” Naim said.

Sherry Lowrance, assistant professor of international affairs, said the apartheid in Palestine was a result of a distinction made in Palestinian and Israeli territories.

“What has been happening is sort of a class system in which the jobs, if [Palestinians] can get jobs, are sort of low quality,” Lowrance said. “The wall has been making it so some Palestinians can’t get to their jobs, or are cut off completely, so they can’t have jobs at all. Or they haven’t been able to get to their fields, or get to their education, so they’re sort of separated from themselves in some cases.”

AJP also displayed quotes from anti-apartheid leaders who have spoken out against apartheid in Palestine, such as Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela.

Naim said the notion that Israel occupied Palestinian territory and built the wall for security reasons was not in accordance with statistics of struggles taking place.

“A lot of people say that Israel has a right to defend itself. But Israel is not defending itself, it is the occupying force. It is clearly the aggressor,” Naim said. “To say that Israel [occupies] in the interest of security is disingenuous.”

Others argue that the wall exists for security reasons.

“The main justification for the wall or separation barrier was security,” Lowrance said. “For the occupation itself, you could make that argument. Because the area itself is very strategically located. If you looked at Jordan, if it wanted to invade Israel, it could. Israel proper is very narrow, and if it didn’t occupy that land it could be easily be cut in two pieces. It assumes that occupying another people doesn’t override the strategic benefit that comes out of occupying this land. But there’s also a strategic minus in that they are occupying a people that are hostile toward the occupation.”

Naim said she hoped movements from citizens and students would begin dismantling apartheid in Palestine.

“We hope the international pressure, especially from America, can help Israel to change,” Naim said. “If enough people say ‘hey, I care about this issue. I’m concerned about America’s support of Israel,’ they’ll have to listen.”