GAZA, July 1 (UPI) -- Actress and political activist Vanessa Redgrave Thursday called Israel's construction of a wall to separate the West Bank a "fatal policy".
Speaking during a five-day fact-finding tour of the Palestinian areas, Redgrave, known for her pro-Palestinian stance, told a press conference in Ramallah the barrier "impedes communications between the Palestinian and Israeli people".
"The barrier is higher than any wall I've seen and even higher than the Berlin Wall," Redgrave said.
The Oscar-winning British actress is making her first visit to the West Bank and Gaza after nearly 30 years of political activism.
She said she arrived in the region as guest of and fund campaigner for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the U.N. children agency UNICEF.
"I see a government that is deliberately trying to destroy peace," Redgrave said.
"I see Qalqilya turned into a prison camp. This will only destroy hope," she said in reference to the West Bank town that has been virtually surrounded by an eight-meter (26-foot) high concrete barrier.
