The Israeli Wall - Research Paper Example

The Israeli Wall Introduction Israeli and Palestine have experienced a long-standing conflict since the time of British Mandate in Palestine that created a Jewish nation contrary to the initial provision that only guaranteed the creation of the pure Arab nation. The incorporation of the Jewish into the Arab land has resulted into the push and shove that has been witnessed in the area since the time immemorial. More particularly, the confrontation has been fuelled by the dispute over the ownership of Gaza strip and the West Bank, both the protagonist sides claims a sizeable portion of the two zones. It has also taken a lot of international assistance to bring the situation to an end but this has not been so productive in that all the opportunities to enable the two sides come to a conclusive solution has always been lost because of one way or the other. One of the most spirited international efforts to bring peace in the war torn area was in the 1993 when Oslo accord was signed to pave ways for the two warring sides to strike a deal in ending their differences that has resulted to humanitarian crisis in the area. The Oslo accord was secretly discussed in Norway and the agreements officially signed in the US, Washington DC in the Presence of the then US president Bill Clinton but because of the Intifada war that followed, the intention of the accord hit a dead end and no conclusive resolution was reached. What is the Israeli Wall? Following the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians over Gaza and West Bank, the areas have been demarcated, thought without any consensus from the parties involved, which territory belongs to the Israel and that which belongs to Palestine. The demarcation has always not been taken as a fair consideration by the Palestine and they have developed over time a tendency of advancing terrorism activities in the Israeli infested areas resulting into cycles of casualties year round (Gelvin 62). To avert this notoriety, the Israeli decided to construct a barrier wall that will delimit the Israeli and the Palestine so that they are cushioned form their terrorist activities that have been very devastating. The construction of the will is estimated to be about seven hundred meters long and about eight meters tall consisting of concrete wall, 90% of the constructed wall is an inhibiting fence with a vehicle-barrier trenches that is surrounded by about 60 meter area of wide exclusion area (Gelvin 67). With the reference made by the Israeli human rights organization, they conform that the barrier wall is concentrated in the West Bank area and extends along the 1949 armistice line that is between the Israeli and Palestine side of the West Bank. The Israeli wall is not a surprise, they have previously constructed the Gaza strip barrier that delimits Israel and Egypt, and this was constructed in the 1994 and was concluded in 2005 (Kershner 49). The Israeli has developed the tendency of secluding themselves through the barrier wall in cases of foreseeable attack by their enemies. Israeli’s Justification On their side regarding the construction of the wall, the Israeli have insisted that providing protection to their civilian is their responsibility in whatever cost and will do all that is possible to ensure that their civilians are not under coercion, pressure or threats from any quarter and to be specific, the Palestinian terrorism activities. They confirm that since the onset of the second Intifada, the Palestine has attacked the Israeli civilian in several occasions by suicide bombers and that needed to be put under stringent check, otherwise, it was going to be out of control. They say the attacks they have witnessed form the Palestinians since the second Intifada justifies the construction of the wall for the purposes of their civilian protection (Semmerling 104). The Israeli also confirms that since the beginning if the wall’s construction, there has been a significant reduction in the number of the suicide attack from Palestine. With reference to their Statistics, between the periods of 2000 to 2003 when construction of the first phase was ongoing, there were 73 Palestine suicide-bombing attacks in West Bank side depriving about 300 lives and injuring about 2,000 Israelis. In 2003 to 2006, there were only 12 attack managed killing about 70 Israeli civilians and wounding about 500 of them (HilaI 43). The proponents of the construction attribute this to the development of the wall and thus hold a strong opinion that the wall is essential in providing Israeli with the required protection over the suicidal Palestine. Palestine Reaction over the wall The Palestine on the other hand have vehemently opposed the construction of the wall urging that it is a clever way of encroaching into the territory that does not belong to the Israeli through the guise of security concerns. They say the wall substantial deviates from the Green line and that it is an attempt to forcefully annex part of the land that is rightfully belonging to the Palestine. They say that the action itself is an abrogation to the international understanding and law that requires a more clear and comprehensible way of warranting such actions (Sorkin 61) . The Palestine also cites that the construction of the wall puts negotiations efforts between them and the Israeli in jeopardy given that peace negotiations are underway to resolve the controversies over the territorial disputes. This, the Palestinians says demonstrate the unwilling trend for the pending negotiations by their rivals and will hamper the process adversely (Sorkin 66). The Palestine also complains that the construction of the wall has been deprived them the freedom to travel freely in the area of the West Bank to even access work in Israel. In 2004, the Palestine sought the interpretation of the Israeli action and it was confirmed to be an act of aggression. The Israeli cannot only rely on their right to security and necessity to warrant the construction of the wall that will result into several implication of not even in line with the provision of good neighborhood (Kershner 91). The court did confirm that the wall’s constructions as well as the regime associated with it are all against the provisions of international understanding and requirement by law. History and Fate of the Wall The construction of the wall stated in 1992 following the Jerusalem murder of a young Israeli girl, following this incidence the then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin recommended that the wall be constructed so that the two countries can be permanently be separated. His position was even accentuated by the violence that broke out in Gaza in the year 1994 where he decided on the philosophy of separation. The initial construction of the wall started in during the period of the Oslo accord talk in 1994 and in the 1995, a commission was set by Rabin to discuss on the issues of implementing the construction of the wall that separates the Israeli and the Palestinians (Handelman 86). The then Israelis Prime Minister Ehud Barak together with the then Palestine leader Yasser Arafat consented on the construction of a wall and agreed that it was an important step for the nation of Palestine to have absolute national identity and independence without the Israeli’s support whatsoever. The violence that broke out in 2002 rekindled the necessity to construct the wall and the supreme court of the Israel confirmed factors of violence and aggression toward the Israeli were the motivating factors for the construction of the wall for the sake of peace between the two nations (Handelman 79). Who is to Blame for the Construction of the Wall? It is true that the construction of the wall has elicited different reaction from different people and it is important that the issue be looked into keenly and rationally. It is true that there is dispute over some specific areas in Gaza and West Bank, the other most important factor to consider is that there have been talks on going on the best was to end the long standing territorial dispute between Israeli and Palestinian. It is therefore wrong for Israeli to construct a wall the separates the two nations, even in the situation that territorial boundaries were agreed, it is still an abnormal international practice to inhibit and hinders peoples freedom of movement by constructing a wall that cease connectivity. The construction of the wall by the Israeli is a sign that they are no longer interested in peace initiative that is currently underway; constructing the wall would mean that they have discarded any attempt to bring peace through negotiations and it is through military expedition that they want the issue be resolved. The Palestine in this case have the right to protest and do anything that will stop the construction of the wall so that a more conclusive resolution can be reached through the impending negotiations. The Israeli should put to a halt the construction of the wall and heed to the peace call through negotiations that is still pursued by the Palestinians. Works Cited Gelvin, James L. The Israel-Palestine conflict: one hundred years of war. 2nd ed. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print. Handelman, Don. Nationalism and the Israeli state bureaucratic logic in public events. Oxford, UK: Berg, 2004. Print. HilaI l, Jamil. Across the wall: narratives of Israeli-Palestinian history. London [u.a.: Tauris, 2010. Print. Kershner, Isabel. Barrier: the seam of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print. Kershner, Isabel. Barrier. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Print. Semmerling, Tim Jon. Israeli and Palestinian postcards presentations of national self. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. Print. Sorkin, Michael. Against the wall: Israel's barrier to peace. New York: New Press, 2005. Print. Read More