II. The Issues: Pondering the Fence

5. Episode Five: Problems with the Barrier

Many in Israel do not oppose a separation/security fence/barrier, in principle. They support the fence in principle. Rather, they oppose the route along which the barrier is being constructed.

As mentioned, the original idea was to separate Israelis from the Palestinians. The most logical way to accomplish this goal seemed to be to build the barrier along the Green Line (pre-June 1967 borders, established at the 1949 Armistice Agreements), with - at most - minor adjustments to accommodate settlements just on the other side, which would not entail the inclusion or isolation of Palestinian settlements. Jewish settlements on the 'wrong' side of the fence would either be pulled up, or be obliged to find some other security arrangement.

However, the inclusion of more isolated settlements in the name of security has led many to question the ultimate aims of the barrier's construction. Doubts arise as to the added security value of nearly doubling the length of the barrier.

The Green Line runs for approximately 315km/195miles;
the original fence was estimated to run 360km/225miles;
the current estimate runs 600km/370 miles.
The estimated length of the Green Line that will be followed is only 11%.

Ultimately, the government has also proposed fences around Palestinian areas pulled into the Israeli side, which would transform them into isolated enclaves.

These figures lead to the suspicion that the fence has been adjusted in order to establish facts on the ground, taking in more land from the Palestinian areas. The far-left Gush Shalom, which follows events in the Territories closely, has presented the following figures regarding the fence:

• 210,000 Palestinians are barred in enclaves
• 67 villages are separated from their center of life
• 2,800 acres of Palestinian land were confiscated
• 83,000 olive trees were uprooted
• 30 water wells, producing 4 million cubic meters per year were confiscated
• 35,000 meters of water infrastructure were destroyed
• If wall follows path as currently understood to accommodate settlements, 25% of Palestinian land will be lost containing nearly 80% of their fertile land as well as 65% of their water resources.

  The bottom line is that, for separation fence supporters of the left, the current barrier nowhere near resembles what they had in mind. Were Sharon revert the fence to its original path, they would support its construction, but they cannot countenance the barrier as it is being implemented.

To see why others would not even go this far, check out Episode Six.