One of the students helps in building the cardboard separation wall (courtesy UCLA)

LOS ANGELES, April 14 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As part of the Palestinian Awareness Week, students in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) simulated the Palestinians’ sufferings at Israel’s countless security checkpoints as well as the controversial Separation Wall in the West bank.

A group of students reenacted an Israeli checkpoint outside Kerckhoff Hall on Bruin Walk, with some dressing up as Palestinian civilians and others as Israeli soldiers, according to the UCLA website.

They prepared two entrances one for "Jews" and the others for "Palestinians".

While the soldiers allowed the "Jews" to pass freely, "Palestinians" were either forced to wait or were arrested.

Playing the role of an Israeli soldier, Jesus Cameron, a third-year political science student and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine , said he wanted students to be aware of injustices against Palestinians.

Muizz Rafique, another student, said he "felt it was necessary to portray what Palestinians have to go through on an everyday basis and how the checkpoints disrupt everyday life."

The simulation was part of the activities of the awareness week organized by the Muslim Student Association (MSA), Students for Justice in Palestine and the United Arab Society Pro-Palestinian groups, known as Al-Awda.

The week, marked on many U.S. college campuses, started Monday, April 12 and would continue to Thursday, April 15.

Separation Wall

The Israeli controversial separation wall was also present through a 10 feet high and 24 feet long cardboard.

"We wanted to give a feeling for what is like to have a wall running through your city," said Mariam Jukaku, a third-year computer science student and president of MSA.

Alia Hasan, a member of Al-Awda, said people need to see the discrimination against Palestinians by Israeli soldiers.

"We want to show the reality of the life for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation," he stressed.

"This is an opportunity to hear about Palestine from Palestinians, which is unusual and not the way it had been presented in the media," said Jess Ghannam, a member of the Free Palestine Alliance and president of the San Francisco chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Israel argues the barrier, which will eventually snake some 600 kilometers (365 miles) around occupied Al-Quds and along the occupied West Bank , is meant to head off Palestinian attacks.

Believing otherwise, the Palestinians took their case to the International Court of Justice, which was asked by the U.N. General Assembly to rule on the wall legality.

Palestinians believe the wall would only entrench Israeli occupation of the West Bank and preset the boundaries of a future Palestinian state.

A U.N. report had warned that the barrier would lead to severe humanitarian consequences for more than 680,000 Palestinians.

Breaking silence on the wall, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) slammed it as a violation of international law.