WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
Introduction
Focus
Since the
unraveling of the
Oslo Accords and
the beginning of
the second intifada,
the government of
Israel has struggled
to find a defensive
strategy that would
help ward off
suicide bombers
coming from the
Palestinian West
Bank. After much
debate, the Israelis
decided to build a
600-kilometre-long
security fence
separating themselves from their
Palestinian neighbours. Many Palestinians wonder if
the fence is more
about grabbing
their land than
security.
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In Oslo, Norway, in 1993, it appeared
that peace in the Middle East was close.
After secret meetings between the
Israeli government and the Palestinian
Liberation Organization (PLO) had
ended, it seemed that a diplomatic
solution might end the violence plaguing the Israelis and Palestinians. The
Oslo Accords called for the formation
of a Palestinian state in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip, the dismantling of
Palestinian terrorist groups, and the
cessation of settlement construction by
the Israelis. However, what was
achieved on paper could not be put into
practice. The Palestinians failed to
disarm terrorist groups like Hamas
while the Israelis failed to get a handle
on opponents of the accord or to carry
out all their obligations. While some of
the objectives of Oslo were realized,
others were not, and the distrust between many Palestinians and Israelis
took on a new life. After the assassination of Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin by a fellow Israeli, the Israeli
government took on a less conciliatory
tone under the leadership of Benjamin
Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Palestinian
terrorist attacks proceeded with renewed vigour. In what has become an
all-too-common feature of modern
diplomacy in the region, each side
blamed the other, and the hopes raised
at Oslo soon crashed to the ground.
For all intents and purposes, a state of
war exists between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours. Palestinian suicide
bombings and terrorist attacks have
killed over 800 Israelis. Israeli military
and police have killed over 2 000
Palestinians. In an effort to stop suicide
bombers in particular, the Israeli gov-
ernment of Ariel Sharon decided in July
2001 to build an enormous fence
around the entire West Bank. Referred
to by the Israelis as the “seam zone,”
the security fence consists of:
• an intrusion-detection fence at the
centre of the installation equipped
with sensors to detect anyone who is
trying climb over the fence. In some
areas, concrete walls are built in place
of a fence.
• a pyramid of six coils of barbed wire
combined with a ditch to prevent
vehicles from crashing through the
fence on the east side. On the west
side of the fence there is only barbed
wire.
• a road that runs along both sides of the
fence to allow Israel Defence Force
(IDF) troops to make regular patrols
• smoothed areas of sand that run
parallel to the fence to detect footprints
• checkpoints that run along the fence at
various intervals. There are also
watchtowers for IDF forces to monitor
activity.
(Source: The Israeli Ministry of Defence:
www.seamzone.mod.gov.il )
Proponents of the project use the
example of the Gaza Strip to support
their position. Gaza is surrounded by a
security fence. Since the second intifada
began in 2000, all of the suicide bomb
attacks have come from the West Bank,
while none have come from Gaza.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reluctantly
agreed to build the fence based on
arguments like these. It is a desperate
and costly plan to stem the tide of
bloodshed brought on by suicide bomb
attacks originating in the West Bank.
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 19
Definition
Apartheid is a
politically loaded
term that refers to
the brutal and
unequal separation
of the races once
practised in South
Africa.
The Palestinians hold a very different
perspective. First of all, to call the
fortified system of obstacles a fence is
an exercise in misinformation. To most
people, a fence is a simple isolated
structure and not a complex network of
ditches, barbed wire, checkpoints, and
watchtowers. The Palestinians refer to
the “seam zone” as the separation wall
and the apartheid wall. Secondly, the
construction of the wall has meant the
confiscation of Palestinian land by the
government of Israel. Palestinians have
no recourse under the law to retain their
property because the land is being
acquired by the Israeli Ministry of
Defence for security reasons. In other
words, land confiscation is enforced by
the army, and unarmed Palestinian
citizens have no option but to surrender
their land and move elsewhere. As a
result, towns are being divided, farmers
are being cut off from their land, and
families are being separated by the
fence.
There is one other significant problem with the fence. The unofficial
dividing line between Israel and the
West Bank is something referred to as
the Green Line. The Green Line is the
ceasefire line that emerged after the Six
Day War in 1967 between Israel and
neighbouring Arab countries. There is a
general understanding that the Green
Line is the unofficial boundary that
separates the two sides. However,
Israelis and Palestinians now live on
both sides of the Green Line. This is
where things get complicated. In an
effort to control elements of the West
Bank, the Israelis have established 246
settlements that are currently occupied
by approximately 200 000 settlers. In
order to protect many of the settlers,
Israeli authorities have deviated from
the Green Line, taking Palestinian land
in the process, in order to include a
number of settlements on the Israeli
side of the fence. These deviations have
seen the fence move as far as 22
kilometres inside the Green Line into
Palestinian territory. It is estimated that
up to 17 per cent of West Bank land is
going to end up on the Israeli side of the
fence. As a result of these actions, more
than 400 000 Palestinians could be cut
off from the West Bank.
One case that deserves special consideration is the city of Qalqilya. The
city is encircled by the fence, leaving
many of its citizens cut off from jobs
and opportunities outside of the city.
Once a thriving economic centre for
over 85 000 people in the surrounding
areas, Qalqilya has become a destitute
island, surrounded by the security
fence.
Another injustice posed by the security fence is land confiscation associated with its construction. With a width
of at least 60 metres, the land on which
the fence is built is predominantly on
the Palestinian side of the Green Line.
Many Palestinian families have lost
their land to the fence project. Jamal
Jumaa of the Palestinian Environmental
NGOs Network (PENGON) claims that
13 000 people have lost their land to the
fence. Others have been separated from
their land and their wells. In other
words, they live on the wrong side of
the fence and have to pass through
Israeli security gates to get to their
livelihood and their water.
International condemnation of the
project has been building since
Sharon’s original announcement. In
October 2003, the United Nations
General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution calling on Israel to stop
building the fence. While Canada and
144 other nations voted for the resolution, the United States voted against it.
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 20
Further Research
To study the full
text of the
“Roadmap to
Peace” visit
www.un.org/
media/main/
roadmap/
22002.html.
Despite this the United States has been
critical of the fence project, particularly
Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land.
In order to put pressure on the government of Israel, the U.S. threatened to
withdraw the cost of the fence from
loan guarantees promised to Israel. In
November 2003 they made good on
their threat and withdrew $290-million
of the $3-billion in loan guarantees. It is
the hope of the world community that
Israel will embrace the goals of the
“roadmap to peace” set out by a United
Nations-sponsored proposal in the
summer of 2003. For the roadmap to
succeed, Israel will need to stop the
fence project.
Perhaps international pressure is
working. For the first time since his
mandate as prime minister began, Ariel
Sharon has admitted that land concessions will be necessary to bring peace to
the region. But what land will be offered by the Israelis? Palestinians fear
that the security fence will become the
new border between Israel and an
independent Palestinian state. They feel
that the real boundary should be the
Green Line, which has served as the
unofficial border between the two sides
since 1967. To make that happen, Israel
will have to tear down the fence. This is
not likely to happen since the Israelis
have sunk hundreds of millions of
dollars into the project. Once again, the
entanglements between the Israelis and
Palestinians will make the promise of
peace a difficult one to deliver.
Responding
1. What contributed to the failure of the Oslo Accords?
2. Why did Israel build the fence?
3. What do the Palestinians think of the fence?
4. What are the consequences of Israel’s decision to deviate from the Green
Line and confiscate Palestinian land?
5. In your opinion, will land concessions bring peace to the region?
6. Based on the information provided, draw a diagram of the security fence.
Check your drawing for accuracy by going to Israel’s Ministry of Defence
Web site at: www.seamzone.mod.gov.il.
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 21
WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
YV Video Review
Please complete
the questions as
you watch the
video.
1. What one issue continues to fuel the anger between the Israelis and the
Palestinians?
2. What were the Oslo Accords? Did the accords succeed or fail in bringing
peace to the region?
3. What is the intifada?
4. How could the “roadmap to peace” settle the disagreements between the
Israelis and the Palestinians?
5. How have the promises of the roadmap to peace been complicated by the
building of Israel’s security fence?
6. How do workers from Abu Dis avoid the security fence on their way to work?
7. Why did Israel decide to build the fence?
8. How much will the fence cost to build? ________________________________
9. What problem does hotel owner Walid Ayad face in the near future?
10. Abu Dis was supposed to be a bridge between two warring peoples. What
is it becoming instead?
11. Do the people of Israel agree with the construction of the security fence?
12. At the end of the documentary, reporter Adrienne Arsenault says that
people feel powerless. Why do they feel powerless? What can they do to
overcome this feeling?
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 22
WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
The Conflict Since Oslo
Review the timeline
and complete the
questions that
follow.
The Middle East has been plagued with
war and invasion for centuries. The
recent struggle to establish peaceful coexistence between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority is only the
most recent attempt to finally turn
swords into ploughshares in this most
volatile of regions, which has also seen
the birth of three important world
religions. For some observers, this is
the last best hope of snatching peace
from the jaws of war.
1993 Secret talks commence near
Oslo, Norway. Unprecedented movement is made in diplomatic negotiations
eventually culminating in the Oslo
Accords, signed at the White House in
Washington. The Israelis agree to
exchange land for peace with the Palestinians. Over 400 million people watch
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shake
hands with PLO leader Yasser Arafat
for the first time on television.
1994 Implementation of the Oslo
Accords begins. Israel withdraws most
of its troops from the Gaza Strip and
hands over the town of Jericho to the
Palestinians. Peace is put in jeopardy
early in the year when an Israeli settler
opens fire on Muslims praying in a
mosque in Hebron, killing 29 people.
By the summer, Yasser Arafat becomes
leader of the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA), also commonly
known as the Palestinian Authority. He
is greeted with jubilation by the people
of Gaza. The PNA begins to rule over
the autonomous areas.
1995 An uneasy year for the peace
process. The Palestinian Authority
struggles to keep opposition groups in
check as several terrorist attacks result
in the deaths of dozens of Israelis. The
Oslo II agreement is signed, creating
unrest within extremist Palestinian and
Israeli groups. In November, Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed
to the peace process. Shimon Perez
assumes power.
1996 Two activities jeopardize the
peace process: suicide bombings in
Israel by the terrorist group Hamas and
Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon.
Shimon Perez is replaced by Benjamin
Netanyahu as prime minister.
Netanyahu, who campaigned against
the Oslo Accords, resumes the construction of Jewish settlements in
Palestinian territories.
1997 The Palestinian Authority assumes control of 80 per cent of Hebron.
1998 Netanyahu and Arafat sign the
Wye River Memorandum outlining
further Israeli withdrawals from the
West Bank.
1999 Infighting over the Wye River
Memorandum leads to the collapse of
Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition. Ehud
Barak wins power and vows to end the
conflict with the Palestinian Authority
by meeting commitments set out in the
Oslo Accords.
2000 Barak’s peace efforts falter. The
promise of Oslo disintegrates. In September, opposition leader Ariel Sharon
tours the Temple Mount/Haram alSharif complex in Jerusalem despite
fierce protests by Palestinian Muslims.
The site is considered sacred to both
Jews and Muslims. Palestinian extremists cite the Sharon tour as provocation
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 23
Further Research
To keep up with
this rapidly developing story, consider visiting the
Web sites of three
of Canada’s national news organizations, at
www.cbc.ca,
www.ctvnews.com,
and
www.canada.com.
The U.S. news
organization CNN
has useful information as well at
www.cnn.com.
for the start of the second, or al-Aqsa,
intifada. (Intifada means uprising.)
2001 Sharon defeats Barak in Israel’s
election. Sharon rejects the land-forpeace formula of the Oslo Accords and
introduces a tougher approach to dealing with the Palestinians. This includes
the assassination of militants, air
strikes, mobilizing of troops into Palestinian areas, and approval of construction of the seam zone or security fence.
The Palestinians respond with more
suicide bombings.
2002 In response to waves of suicide
bombings, Israel reoccupies the West
Bank. Fifty-two Palestinians are killed
in Jenin alone. Israel claims that force is
necessary to destroy the infrastructure
of terror in the West Bank.
2003 There remains little hope for
peace. The United States, Russia, the
United Nations, and the European
Union release a document suggesting a
“roadmap for peace” in the Middle
East. The United Nations also passes a
resolution condemning Israel’s construction of the security fence. In June,
U.S. President George Bush calls for
the replacement of Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat. In November, the U.S.
scales back loan guarantees by $289.5million of the $3-billion promised to
Israel because of continued incursions
of the security fence onto Palestinian
land and continued construction of
Jewish settlements within the occupied
territories.
November 2003 Moderate Palestinians and Israelis meet in Geneva to spur
peaceful negotiations to restart the
peace process. The so-called “Geneva
Accords” are signed but are unofficial.
(Source: BBC News In Depth – Israel and
the Palestinians. http://news.bbc.co.uk )
Analysis
1. How close did the Israelis and the Palestinians come to achieving peace
with the Oslo Accords?
2. What actions taken by the Israelis and Palestinians made the dream of
Oslo fade away?
3. What events happened after the start of the al-Aqsa intifada to drive the
two sides further apart?
4. How effective do you think the U.S. withdrawal of loan guarantees to
Israel will be in securing Israeli co-operation? Are there better ways to
force Israel to be more co-operative?
5. Should the U.S. be making similar moves against the Palestinians?
6. In your view, is there any real hope of a lasting peace in the Middle East?
Explain fully.
7. What role might Canada play in the region? Be specific.
Extension
If you were called upon to outline the basic elements of a peace plan between
the Israelis and Palestinians, what would you suggest? Why?
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 24
WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
Holy City, Sacred Sites, Shared Beginnings
Quote
“There is an absolute exhaustion at
play today with
both sides of the
equation because
of the intifada.
There’s a sense that
ordinary people
want a restoration
to ordinary, normal
lives.” — former
Newfoundland
premier, Brian
Tobin on a visit to
the region in
November 2003,
Toronto Star,
November 27
The city of Jerusalem is the epicentre of
three world religions: Judaism, Islam,
and Christianity. Jews, Muslims, and
Christians hold the holy city as a place
of reverence that occupies a number of
key sacred sites for each faith. In a
sense, the fight for the city’s sacred
sites is a microcosm of the greater battle
for land between the Israelis and the
Palestinians.
This battle is only compounded by
the fact that Jews and Muslims share a
common religious heritage centering, in
whole or in part, on Jerusalem. Nonetheless, there is common religious
ground that could bring the two sides
together. Both Judaism and Islam place
special emphasis on a number of biblical or prophetic figures. These individuals include Adam, Noah, Abraham, and
Moses, who all figure prominently in
the Jewish Torah and the Muslim
Koran. In fact, Judaism looks upon
Abraham as one of the patriarchs or
fathers of its faith, and Islam refers to
Abraham as the “first muslim.”
Abraham is also the father of Isaac and
Ishmael. The ancestors of the Jewish
faith descend from Isaac and the ancestors of the Muslim faith descend from
Ishmael. While this common heritage
could be drawing Jews and Muslims
together, territorial clashes over land
are driving a wedge between both
groups.
At the centre of the battle are the holy
sites of Jerusalem. Some of the most
sacred land for Jews and Muslims is
located on 35 acres of land in East
Jerusalem. The Jews refer to this area as
the Temple Mount. It is believed to be
the place where redemption will take
place when the Messiah comes. Ac-
cording to Jewish tradition, the temple
was built near the location where
Abraham built an altar on which to
sacrifice his son Isaac. Just below the
Temple Mount compound is the Western Wall—the last remnant of the
Second Temple, destroyed by the
Romans in 70 CE. The Western Wall is
considered to be the holiest site in
Judaism and, over time, has become a
centre for pilgrimage and prayer for
Jews. Its ability to remain standing for
almost 2 000 years has allowed it to
come to symbolize the everlasting
presence of God and the indestructibility of the Jewish people. When Israel
captured the site during the Six Day
War in 1967, many saw this as a significant accomplishment for the nation of
Israel and the religion of Judaism.
Muslims refer to this same area as
Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary.
Two significant sites are located in this
area: the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome
of the Rock. The al-Aqsa mosque is the
third holiest site in Islam. Before the
tradition of facing Mecca was adopted
by Muslims, the faithful would turn to
the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as the
geographical focal point of their prayer.
Muslims believe that the Dome of the
Rock marks the spot where the Prophet
Muhammad ascended to heaven on his
famous Night Journey. Haram al-Sharif
and East Jerusalem in general are
considered to be central to an independent Palestinian state.
In July 2000, representatives of the
government of Israel and the Palestinian
Authority met at Camp David in the
United States. Efforts to reconcile
Jewish and Muslim claims to the sacred
sites could not be found. In September
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 25
2001, Likud party leader Ariel Sharon
visited the Temple Mount/Haram alSharif despite protests from the Muslim
community. The visit was so provocative that it led to riots and is seen as the
immediate cause of the outbreak of the
second, or al-Aqsa, intifada. Even if an
agreement could be negotiated regarding an independent Palestinian state,
any agreement establishing control of
the holy sites would be difficult to
reach. With both sides staking a claim
to their sacred sites, the Temple Mount/
Haram al-Sharif has the potential to
play the role of Achilles heel to the
peace process.
(Sources: Donald Quinlan et al., Exploring World Religions. Toronto: Oxford
University Press, 2001; Jerusalem’s Holy
Sites. http://news.bb.co.uk)
Questions
1. Name the biblical or prophet figures that both Judaism and Islam share.
2. What is the importance of Abraham to both faith traditions?
3. Why is the Temple Mount so important to Jews?
4. Why is Haram al-Sharif so important to Muslims?
5. Why will an agreement over control of the sacred sites of Jerusalem be a
key component of any peace agreement between the Israelis and the
Palestinians?
6. Why are religious disagreements often more difficult to resolve than
political disputes?
Extension Activity
Consider inviting representatives of both the Muslim and Jewish faiths to
present an overview of their central beliefs and practices. In your view, what
are the most important common elements of these two faith traditions?
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 26
WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
The al-Aqsa Intifada
Further Research
In order to assess
the ongoing developments in this
area, consider
visiting the Israeli
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs at
www.israel.org/
mfa/home.asp and
the official site of
the Palestinian
Authority at
www.pna.org.
The word intifada means “uprising” and
that is exactly what happened after a
highly provocative visit to the Temple
Mount/Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) on September 28, 2000. Ariel
Sharon, the leader of the opposition
Likud party of Israel, decided to visit
the area despite the protests of many
Muslims. The site is considered sacred
ground by both Jews and Muslims.
Sharon arrived with 1 000 armed bodyguards, claiming to carry a message of
peace. Peace became impossible after
Sharon used the site to declare the land
eternal Israeli territory. The result was
mass rioting in Jerusalem. Several
Palestinians were shot in the riots by the
Israel Defence Force (IDF), including
Muhammad al-Durra, a 12-year-old
boy, who died in his father’s arms.
Television cameras captured the scene
and broadcast the images around the
world. A number of suicide bombings
on targets within Israel signaled the
start of the al-Aqsa intifada. The Israelis responded by mobilizing their
troops, eventually initiating Operation
Defensive Shield.
The al-Aqsa intifada was the second
mass uprising in the occupied territories. The first intifada lasted from 1987
to 1993. Out of several isolated acts of
violence emerged a six-year battle
between the IDF and Palestinian insurgents. It can be characterized as an
explosion in hatred between Palestinians and Israelis. The goal of the Palestinian uprising was the establishment of
a free and independent Palestinian state.
The intifada is sometimes referred to as
“the war of stones” because of vivid
television images and photographs of
rioting Palestinian youth hurling stones
at the formidably equipped IDF. Other
weapons used by the Palestinians
included Molotov cocktails, hand
grenades, and, at times, guns and explosives. Meanwhile the IDF was equipped
with armoured vehicles, tanks, and
state-of-the-art weaponry. The intifada
saw the decline of international support
for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the rise of extremist
groups like Hamas and Palestinian
Islamic Jihad. As time passed, it became clear that the PLO and other
groups were provoking riots in the
occupied territories, leading terrorist
attacks against Israeli targets and, in
some cases, targeting and killing Palestinians who they felt were collaborating
with the government of Israel. At the
same time, the Israelis were pounding
the poorly equipped Palestinians with
their military might. The signing of the
Oslo Accords brought the first intifada
to an end.
The al-Aqsa intifada has been characterized by a wave of suicide bombings
by Palestinians on Israeli civilian
targets and powerful military attacks by
the IDF on Palestinian targets. The
Israelis have also assassinated suspected terrorist leaders, used armed
helicopters to attack enemy targets, and
made it policy to destroy the homes of
the families of suicide bombers. Since
the Israelis have complete air and
ground superiority, they can overpower
the Palestinians if they so choose. It is
the military might of the state of Israel
that allows it to confiscate Palestinian
land in the building of the security
fence without any strong opposition. To
date the struggle has resulted in horrific
casualties. Over 800 Israelis and more
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 27
than 2 000 Palestinians have been killed
in the intifada. In November 2003, for
the first time since the start of the
intifada, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
has admitted that there can be no peace
without land concessions on the part of
Israel. As of late 2003, details were
sketchy. The prospect of a real and
lasting peace lies in the balance.
To Consider
1. What event is believed to have provoked the al-Aqsa intifada?
2. Why was the first intifada called “the war of stones”?
3. Outline the tactics used by both sides in the al-Aqsa intifada.
4. Do you think the intifada will result in a Palestinian victory? Explain.
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 28
WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
Walls, Fortresses, and Fences
Walls separating warring parties are
nothing new to the world. Ancient cities
were often built on high land and
surrounded by walls to prevent invasion
from foreign powers. This practice has
evolved into the modern era with the
emergence of fortifications designed to
achieve similar ends. However, the
question is, in terms of a military strategy, do walls work in the 21st century?
Specifically, does Israel’s security fence
stand a chance of achieving the ends
that the Israeli government is seeking?
Perhaps it would be useful to take a
look at the effectiveness of some defensive structures from ancient and recent
history.
The Great Wall of China
Dates: Third Century BCE; reconstructed 1368-1644
Location: The wall runs along the
southern edge of the Mongolian plain in
Northern China.
Description: A vast defensive wall
Length: 6 400 kilometres
Height: An average of 7.5 metres
Width: Varies from 4.5 to 9 metres at
the base and 3.7 metres at the top
Purpose: To prevent invasion from
northern nomads
Result: For the most part, the Great
Wall of China achieved its purpose. The
Great Wall is still in existence today.
(Source: All About the Great Wall of
China, www.enchantedlearning.com/
subjects/greatwall/Allabout.html)
The Maginot Line
Dates: 1929-1940
Location: The line of fortifications is
located along the Franco-German
border between Switzerland in the south
and Belgium in the north.
Description: A line of 50 large fortifications connected by tunnels. The forts
were built into hills and ridges with
some tunnels located 30 metres underground. Troops could be transported by
trolley from fort to fort via the tunnel
system.
Length: 240 kilometres
Purpose: To protect France from a
German attack along the Franco-German border
Result: As they did in the First World
War, the Germans invaded France by
sweeping through Belgium, thus bypassing the Maginot Line in the Second
World War. While never taken by
force, the line became a non-issue with
the French surrender to the Germans in
June 1940.
(Source: The Maginot Line,
www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/
smithsonian/issues97/jun97/
maginot.html)
The Berlin Wall
Dates: 1961-1989
Location: The wall was located along
the post-Second World War border
between East and West Berlin. The wall
encircled West Berlin, separating it
from East Germany.
Description: A solid concrete wall
topped with barbed wire. On the eastern
side of the wall, floodlights kept the
area illuminated. The wall area also
included a trench to prevent vehicles
from ramming into the wall, a patrol
path, watchtowers, bunkers, and sometimes a second wall. The wall cut
through 192 streets, 32 railway lines,
three highways, and several rivers and
lakes.
Length: 107 kilometres
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 29
Width: The entire system was between
30 and 100 metres wide, which East
German authorities referred to as a
border zone.
Height: 4 metres
Purpose: To keep East Berliners from
escaping to West Berlin
Result: The Berlin Wall became the
symbol of the “Iron Curtain” that the
Soviet Union draped over Eastern
Europe. Eventually, with the collapse of
communism, the wall was destroyed by
the German people in 1989. Berlin is
now united, as is the nation of Germany.
(Source: A Concrete Curtain: The Life
and Death of the Berlin Wall,
www.wall-berlin.org/gb/mur.htm)
Israel’s Seam Zone Security
Fence
Dates: 2001-?
Location: Near the Green Line separating the West Bank from Israel
Description: An extended fence system
stretching along or near the Green Line
In some cases concrete walls are used in
place of an actual fence. The fence area
requires 30-35 metres to allow for
security obstacles that include:
• a fence in the centre
• a ditch and pyramid of six coils of
barbed wire on the east side. Just one
coil of barbed wire on the west side.
• a path on both sides for Israel Defence
Force patrols
• sensors
• smooth strips of sand to detect footprints
• watchtowers and gates
Length: 580-600 kilometres
Height: Up to 8 metres
Purpose: To prevent Palestinian suicide
bombers from attacking targets within
Israel
Result: To be determined
(Source: Israel’s Ministry of Defence,
www.seamzone.mod.gov.il)
Activity
Based on your reading, rank the walls and fortifications noted above in order of
effectiveness. The number one (1) represents the most effective and the number four (4) represents the least effective. Explain your answer in a detailed
paragraph using information from these pages to support your position.
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 30
WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
YV Peace in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
Quote
“Both sides are sick
of the fighting.
Both sides want
something to
happen. The time is
ripe.” — Palestinian
developer, Toronto
Star, November 30,
2003
Amid the violence and animosity that
have fueled the conflict between the
Israelis and the Palestinians, a glimmer
of hope can be found in the village of
Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. Located
between Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, the
village represents the potential for
peaceful co-existence between Israelis
and Palestinians. The community is
composed of Jews and Palestinian
Arabs of Israeli citizenship and, since it
was founded in the early 1970s, has
grown to include over 40 families.
Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam represents the ideal that so many people have
sought for so many years. The community itself is made up of several branches:
• The nursery, kindergarten and primary
school. Ninety per cent of the 250
students who attend the school come
from neighbouring communities. Key
principles of the curriculum include
equal participation of both Jews and
Palestinians, use of both Hebrew and
Arabic in instruction, and the fostering
of knowledge of the culture and
traditions of both groups.
• The School for Peace conducts outreach education through encounter
workshops with a specific emphasis
on Israeli-Palestinians relations. The
goal is to bring Jews and Palestinians
together in the hopes of building a
“humane, egalitarian, and just society.”
• The village also has a hotel for guests
and a pluralistic spiritual centre.
The village of Neve Shalom/Wahat
al-Salam has attracted international
attention and is cited as a living example of the potential for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Former
prime minister Shimon Peres called the
community “an island of peace that will
create a world of peace.”
It is no surprise that recent outreach
efforts involve a concerted effort to
oppose construction of Israel’s security
fence around the West Bank. In September 2003, Neve Shalom/Wahat alSalam held an information evening
jointly sponsored by the School for
Peace and the Pluralistic Spiritual
Centre. The evening featured a screening of the BBC-commissioned documentary Behind the Fence and a presentation by Jamal Jumaa of the Palestinian
Environmental NGOs Network. The
evening provided compelling evidence
for all in attendance that the security
fence is a barrier to peace.
By sponsoring the information
evening, the community of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam was taking a clear
stand on the issue of Israel’s security
fence. Acting as a living example of
peaceful co-existence between Jews and
Palestinians, the community is showing
the world that good fences do not make
good neighbours.
(Source: Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam,
http://nswas.com)
Questions
1. Describe the three branches of the Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam community.
2. Based on your reading, how does the community represent “an island of
peace that will create a world of peace”?
3. Given Canada’s record for supporting global peace, is there anything that
Canada or individual Canadians can do to help establish peace between
Israelis and Palestinians?
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 31
WEST BANK WALL: BARRIER TO PEACE?
Final Activity: Do They Need a Wall?
Use the information you have gathered over the course of your study of the
West Bank security fence to fill in the following chart:
Do good fences make good neighbours?
Issue
Israeli Position
Palestinian Position
My Position
View (concerning the
fence)
What each group calls the
fence
Positive outcomes associated with the fence
Negative outcomes associated with the fence
The reaction of the general population to the
fence; i.e. How do Israelis
feel about the fence? How
do Palestinians feel about
the fence? Your view?
Past conflicts and tactics
used to fight the enemy
Past and present diplomatic solutions proposed
by each side. Your ideas?
Your chart provides a synopsis of the range of views associated with the construction of the security fence. Now that you have gathered the appropriate
information write a report (250-500 words in length) on whether or not you
think Israel should continue to build the fence.
OR
Use the information from the chart to hold a class debate on the issue. One side
can take the Israeli position while the other side can take the Palestinian position. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has an excellent Web site
dealing with the crisis. Go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk and use the search phrase
“Israel and the Palestinians.” Use this site to gather information for your debate.
CBC News in Review • December 2003 • Page 32