The BBC is reporting that Israel no longer finds it necessary to continue building the wall. The Shin Bet head honcho Yuval Diskin feels “that Israel had enough capabilities to prevent attacks from the Palestinian territory.”
Israel has always claimed that it has the capabilities to contain Palestinian terrorists and that it continuously strives to improve its defenses. Israel has pledges from the US to receive almost $30 billion dollars over the next few years. Accoring to the CRS, Israel has received almost $3 billion a year from the US [PDF]. Almost 2 billion of this is for military purposes. It is already one of the largest receipients of US aid, military and otherwise.
Moreover, it is one of most militarized and heavily policed regions in the world, especially in and around the West Bank and Gaza. Israel weaponry is considered some of the best in world – remember the Uzi? It was the number 4 exporter of arms in 2007 and its defense industry is holds its own, among stalwarts from the US and UK.
The Israeli-Palestinian Barrier
According to the Israel Ministry of Defense, the justification behind the wall was:
“The Security Fence is being built with the sole purpose of saving the lives of the Israeli citizens who continue to be targeted by the terrorist campaign that began in 2000. The fact that over 800 men, women and children have been killed in horrific suicide bombings and other terror attacks clearly justifies the attempt to place a physical barrier in the path of terrorists. It should be noted that terrorism has been defined throughout the international community as a crime against humanity. As such, the State of Israel not only has the right but also the obligation to do everything in its power to lessen the impact and scope of terrorism on the citizens of Israel.” [Emphases added]
As for its effectiveness, the MOD claims:
“Between Israel and the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority there is no natural or man made barrier. This enables the almost unhindered entry of Palestinian terrorists into Israel. During the last three years, 117 Palestinian terrorists took advantage of it, entered into Israel and in the act of blowing themselves up murdered 477 people – Jews, Arabs and Christians and wounded thousands others. In contrast, the security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip that has existed since 1996 has proven its effectiveness and the vast majority of terrorist attempts have been discovered and thwarted.
The first stage of the Security Fence (from Salem to Elkana) which has been operational since July 2003, is already proving itself as an effective defensive deterrent which prevents the repeated attempts to enter Israel and carry out terror attacks.
Members of Palestinian terror infrastructure caught and questioned disclosed the fact that the existence of the Security Fence in the Samaria area forces them to find of other means to perform terror attacks since their previous entry to Israel is blocked.”
So, according to the Israelis, the wall was built to prevent Palestinian terrorists from entering Israeli territory, and that it has been quite effective, especially in Gaza. So what has changed since the construction started?
For one, recession has reached the shores of Israel. According to the Bank of Israel,
“The steep decline in the [combined economic performance] this month (by 1.2 %) and declines in the last few months testify that the economy is sliding into a recession, whose first signs appeared in the index in the last quarter of 2008″
Moreover, tangible product exports are down by almost 8% since November. The services export index fell by 2.3%. The Israeli economy is beginning to hurt badly, according to Bloomberg. Netanyahu is planning a boost by cutting tax cuts, which implies that revenues will be down and the deficit will be up. Further, the US doesn’t really much room to increase aid.
So the decision to halt construction of the barrier, it seems, is not a purely military decision.
Now, I generally support Palestinian causes, especially the two-state solution and even returning to the pre-1967 borders. Of course, I am absolutely disgusted by Hamas extremism, Fatah corruption and Palestinian support for terrorism against innocent civilians, whether Israeli or otherwise.
When it comes to the wall, however, I feel that it will do more good than harm. I agree with the Israeli MOD that the wall prevents Palestinian terrorists easy access to Israeli civilian areas. At the same time, it also prevents, or could prevent, Israeli settlers from taking over even more territory.
Walls, or barriers of some sort, separate countries around the world, especially given a history of antagonistic relations or other legal issues. The US is building an electronic barrier with Mexico to prevent illegal immigration. India and Pakistan, and North and South Korea are some examples of countries with relations similar to the Israeli-Palestinians that have heavily guarded barriers separating them. If the Palestinians want an independent state, they should recognize that a permanent barrier creates two explicitly separate entities.
At the same time, the Palestinian claims that the barrier is hurting their economy by cutting off farms, water supply, access to Israeli industry, and so on, are true to a great extent. The international community is also objecting to the wall on similar grounds. The wall is also seen as a blatant land grab, as is evident from this image:
Wall Map 2007
The Pope has recently spoken out against the wall. The International Court of Justice has already declared the wall to be illegal. The wall still serves its intended purpose of separating the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
Israel needs to re-evaluate its plans for the wall, specifically its route. Preferably, a return to the pre-1967 borders would placate most opponents of the wall. Israel needs to dismantle any settlements more than a mile or so, a reasonable distance you could say, away from the wall. It should streamline and simplify its border crossings and procedures for legal Palestinian entry into Israel. It also needs to take care that the Palestinian economy is not overburdened by the wall’s route.
