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Things in Israel Aren't What They Seem

[Toronto Star] Oakland Ross - The "separation barrier" that now divides a good deal of Israel from much of the West Bank is almost invariably presented in newspapers or on TV as an ugly, forbidding series of tall concrete slabs. There is just one problem with this picture. It isn't accurate, or not very. True, the portion of the barrier that snakes through Jerusalem does take the form of a concrete wall, as do several other sections of the structure, but those portions represent only about 3% of the still unfinished barricade. The rest consists of an electronically monitored chain-link fence. Welcome to the Middle East, where few features of the geopolitical landscape ever turn out to be exactly the way they tend to be perceived from abroad. Take the whole notion of physical separation between Israelis and Palestinians. It is surprising just how much commingling of the two sides does go on. Some West Bank roads are reserved for Israeli vehicles, but many are not, and Israelis regularly speed along the same roads as Palestinian vehicles.
2008-10-17 01:00:00
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