Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

Educational Resources

The Security Fence

1. Israeli Security Barrier: Bar to Terror or to Peace?
   by John F. Burns, New York Times, October 4, 2003
   Bunrs describes the effect that the recent decision to extend the Israeli security barrier around the large settlement of Ariel - a large settlement deep in the West Bank - will have on the neighboring Palestinian village of Haris. One Palestinian hauntingly tells him, "I can't marry, I can't build a house. Life is not worth living. I want to die. Many of us do not care if we live or die."
   [read more]
   
   
2. The Wailing Wall
   by Thomas Friedman, New York Times, September 7, 2003
   Thomas Friedman argues that Israelis feel they need the security wall for protection from suicide bombers, but the key is where that wall is built. Friedman believes that if it's built along the Green Line, close to the boundaries proposed by President Clinton, it could establish the basis for peace; conversely, a wall that cuts deeply into the West Bank would be a "disaster".
   [read more]
   
   
3. AN ISRAELI VIEW Chronicle of a good idea gone sour
   by Yossi Alpher, Aug 11, 2003
   A former Senior Advisor to Ehud Barak and former supporter of the separation fence, in principle, Alpher reexamines the political and military ramifications of the fence constructed along the path proposed by the Sharon government.
   [read more]
   
   
4. When Is a Fence Not a Fence?
   By Dennis Ross, Wall Street Journal, Aug 4, 2003
   Former Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross argues that there is no problem with the concept of a security fence, which can provide Israel with additional security; however, he believes the route of current fence threatens the viability of any future Palestinian state.
   [read article]
   
   
5. The One-Fence Solution
   By Gershom Gorenberg, New York Times Magazine, August 3, 2003
   Gorenberg describes the construction of the Israeli Security Fence and talks extensively with Col. Dany Tirza, the architect of the project. The article includes pictures of the fence and an extensive description of the issues around the Palestinian city of Qalqilya, which has been fenced in.
   [read article]
   
   
6. Background: Separation Fence Traps 12,000 Palestinians
   By Arnon Regular, Ha'aretz, July 31, 2003
   Ha'aretz reports on the social and economic effects of the fence which now traps 12,000 Palestinians in villages along the Israeli border between the Green Line and the fence.
   [read article]
   
   
7. Security over Settlements
   By Americans for Peace Now, July 29, 2003
   APN supports the concept of building a security fence, but believes that the fence should closely follow the Green Line instead of veering deeply into the West Bank to protect settlements. They argue that doing so undermines Israel's interests and violates President Bush's Road Map to peace by continuing the confiscation of Palestinian land.
   [read article]
   
   
8. Barrier to Peace at Israeli Border
   By David Newman, Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2003
   Professor Newman argues that Israel's unilateral construction of a border that walls in the Palestinian population sets up a "physical and emotional scar running through the heart of this bitterly contested landscape."
   [read article]
   
   
9. Stonewalling the Peace Process
   By Patrick Connors, AlterNet, July 21, 2003
   Connors describes how the unilateral construction of the security fence will isolate 210,000 Palestinians and effectively annex 50% of the West Bank to Israel while simultaneously imprisoning the Palestinians in 3 disconnected enclaves.
   [read article]
   
   
10. The Bad Fence
    By Neve Gordon, Z-Net, May 29, 2003
    Professor Gordon describes how the security fence will isolate and eventually depopulate the Palestinian village of Mazmuriah near Jerusalem.
    [read article]
    
    

1. Humanitarian and Emergency Policy Group of the Local Aid Coordination Committee:
   The Impact of Israel's Separation Barrier on Affected West Bank Communities
   [read]  (PDF Document)
   
   
2. Btselem:
   • The Separation Barrier: Phase One Completed - Hundreds of Thousands Palestinians Directly Harmed
   [read more]
   
   • Behind The Barrier: Human Rights Violations As a Result of Israel's Separation Barrier Position Paper, April 2003
   [click for a summary]
   
   Download the position paper:     Word  |   RTF  |   PDF
   
   View Btselem's map of the route:     HTML  |   JPG  |   PDF
   
   click here  to download an aerial photo the northern portion of the "Jerusalem Envelope"