This House Would Remove the Israeli Security Wall

At the height of the second intifadah, between 2000 and 2006, Palestinian suicide bombers moved with relative ease from the West Bank into Israeli cities. The then Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon responded to public pressure for action by ordering the construction of a physical security barrier in and around the West Bank.[1] In June 2002, the Israeli government began erecting a 620 kilometres long barrier in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank in order to protect Israelis from suicide attacks. Very broadly, the barrier creates a physical divide along the pre-1967 “Green Line” between Israel and what is now the Palestinian Authority. However, although the northern part of the barrier follows the “Green Line” pretty closely, much of the rest of its route involves great loops eastward into Palestinian territory in order to protect Israeli settlements there. Most of the barrier is fence, within a 60-100 metre zone of military tracks and ditches, but some of the most notorious parts are made up of 8 metre high concrete walls.[2] The barrier has become extremely controversial and many countries and non-governmental organisations have spoken against it. Even the naming of the barrier/wall has become very controversial; proponents of it usually name it a security barrier or security fence, while the opponents tend to call it a wall. Supporters argue for the barrier mainly for security reasons, while detractors argue for dismantling Israel’s security wall on the grounds that it violates international law and equates to a breach of human rights. After years of negotiations, there have been route changes often due to Palestinian protest,[3] and stoppages in construction of the barrier. As of July 2010 only 64% of the barrier had been completed with no date for when it would be completed.[4]