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Israel's Fence of Peace

(Boston Globe) - Meir Shlomo For Israelis, the debate outside of Israel about Israel's security fence has come as a complete surprise; most Israelis, both left- and right-wing, consider the fence to be an absolute necessity - it's the last resort in protecting themselves and their children. The security fence is a defensive and nonlethal measure. It has only one goal: to prevent terrorism. The end of terrorism would render the security fence unnecessary. Fences can be built and torn down, but human lives are irreplaceable. Some say the fence is a barrier to peace. In fact, it is just the opposite. The lack of a fence between Israel and the West Bank has made it possible for Hamas and Islamic Jihad to hold the peace process hostage. Each time political progress was made, it was derailed by deadly attacks carried out by these terrorists. Building a fence will cause a sharp decline in the number of such attacks and give leaders more latitude to continue peace negotiations. The media depict the fence as a tall concrete wall. However, 94% is actually just a chain-link fence. The portions made up of a concrete wall are adjacent to a major highway. One argument against the fence states that it will create inconveniences for some Palestinian farmers who will be separated from their fields. A limited number of inconveniences do exist, and they are addressed by the Israeli government on a case-by-case basis. However, they are relatively minor when compared to the benefit of saving hundreds of lives.
2003-11-26 00:00:00
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