Israel’s Security Fence
Israel’s security fence, running more or less along the borders of the West Bank, is meant to do just what its name states—provide security for the people of Israel. It is not being built for the purpose of separating, harassing, or isolating Palestinians. The security fence has one goal: To deter, and hopefully completely prevent, terrorists living in the West Bank from infiltrating Israel and harming or killing Israeli citizens. It has been accused of being a “wall,” (like the Berlin Wall before it) but doesn’t even much resemble a wall in most areas; most of the barrier is a chain-link fence.
The fence was not without precedent. Israel had created barriers like this before, along its border with Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Since the construction of the Gaza fence, for example, no suicide bombers have made their way into Israel. Other countries, too, had constructed similar fences—the United States, for example, built one along the border with Mexico to deter illegal immigration. Talk about this security fence began back in the 1990s, following murders in Jerusalem and uprisings in Gaza. When the al-Aqsa Intifada started in 2000, the unprecedented level of attacks and suicide bombers, most often perpetrated by terrorists entering Israel from the West Bank, spurred the government to action. Without a barrier of some kind, it was literally as easy as putting one foot in front of the other for a terrorist to infiltrate Israel from the West Bank. Hundreds of citizens had been murdered, thousands more maimed, and it was clear that the Palestinians, though they had committed to renounce violence during the Oslo Accords, were not planning on following through with that any time soon. The Israeli government had an obligation to protect their citizens, Arab and Jew alike.
The fence, started in 2003, follows the border of the “Green Line” demarcated as the Israel-Jordan border after 1948. Israelis and Arabs both fear that the fence will become an eventual Israeli border: Israelis living outside the fence worry that they will be left defenseless, in a hostile Arab environment; Arabs worry that Israel is slowly annexing the territory they believe to be rightfully theirs. However, Israel does not plan to make this fence into any kind of border; its existence is solely to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens. The route of the fence will eventually include as many Israeli, and as few Palestinian, settlements as possible, and it weaves in and out of the West Bank.
The government has made an effort to use as much public land as possible; when private land is used, it remain the property of the owner, who is then compensated by the government. While Israel acknowledges that the fence creates inconveniences and bad feelings for Palestinians who come to Israel for work, and makes it more difficult to move goods between the West Bank and Israel, that was never the goal of the fence, but an unfortunate byproduct. To accommodate the humanitarian needs of the Palestinians, Israel has created various checkpoints along the fence which allow Palestinians to enter Israel legally. In fact, the government contends that the fence will eventually work to the Palestinians’ benefit, as it will decrease the number of military operations necessary in the West Bank as well as the number of troops deployed in Palestinian towns.
The route of the fence has been the most controversial, and work has been stopped numerous times as the courts debate the legality of certain portions. For example, since the government wishes to include as many Jewish towns as possible, this often means constructing further inside the West Bank and not strictly following the 1949 armistice line. And the construction of the fence surrounding Jerusalem has been met with resistance as well. During the Intifada, more than thirty suicide bombings have targeted Jerusalem; however, due to legal challenges, the Israeli courts decided in 2005 to build a temporary fence separating Jerusalem from the West Bank, and delay building the permanent fence until the legal issues can be resolved.
The fence itself, though seemingly made of low-tech materials, is actually highly sophisticated, incorporating sensors, trenches, unmanned aerial vehicles, and land mines. And it works. The numbers have proven the dire necessity of the fence. Violence has lessened since the construction of the fence. From 2000 (when the al-Aqsaq Intifada started), until 2003 (when the first part of the fence was completed,) terrorists operating out of the West Bank carried out 73 attacks, killing 293 Israelis and wounding 1,950. However, in the next three years, post-construction, those numbers fell dramatically. Between 2003 and 2006, 12 attacks were carried out, killing 64 Israelis and wounding 445—still a distressing number, but a much lower one. Approximately 75% of the Palestinian terrorists coming from the West Bank had infiltrated Israel from the area now protected by the fence.
The security fence may be controversial, but it is working, which makes that controversy less relevant.
What do you think?