Chicago — British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s recent call for Israel to dismantle what he called a new “Berlin Wall” around the West Bank is one more example of gross misapplication of an historical analogy to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The East German communist state built the Berlin Wall to prevent East Germans from seeking freedom in the West. Israel’s security fence is intended to ensure freedom of Israelis to live without fear of terrorists.
Nearly three years of violence have placed Israel in the precarious, but necessary, position of having to defend its cities and civilians while the Palestinian military factions, with the tacit approval and support of their political leaders, continue to attack Israeli civilians.
This policy also has grave consequences for the Palestinian people. Their suffering is largely the direct result of the decisions and actions of Palestinian leaders and radical groups that have chosen a way of terror and unrealistic dreams instead of the path to peace.
After countless terror attacks and human bombs detonating themselves on buses and in cafes, Israel has chosen a security solution that seems obvious. Why not put up a fence so those bent on killing people cannot enter?
This will not only thwart potential terrorists but will also meet the needs of Israeli forces that are forced to enter Palestinian Authority-controlled areas to weed out terror cells. Implementation of this plan will lessen the need for Israeli presence inside Palestinian areas and minimize contact and conflict with the Palestinian population.
Minimizing conflict
Israel has begun building such a fence and has come under harsh criticism for doing so. Much of this has come from human rights groups that should have been among the first to promote such a temporary measure.
This idea is not sinister, as some conspiracy theory advocates believe, but is, we hope, a short-term solution to the unbearable problem of terror. Saving lives is the sole reason for this endeavor — which is currently supported by most of the Israeli public regardless of their political views.
Had Israel wanted to annex territory in the West Bank and Gaza, there have been ample opportunities since 1967. Instead, Israel entered into the Oslo process to negotiate a political solution.
Because the first responsibility of any government is defense of its citizens, more than two and a half years of Palestinian violence against Israelis made this fence a necessity. We regret the suffering that might be caused to a minority of civilians, but we believe it will better the lives of most, minimize conflict areas and might facilitate a return to negotiations.
One specific area currently receiving attention is the grave of the Matriarch Rachel and its vicinity. Rachel’s Tomb, located on Jewish-owned land on the northern outskirts of Bethlehem, is under Israeli control based on the interim agreement signed by Israel and the P.A. in September 1995.
During the past 30 months, Rachel’s Tomb, Judaism’s third holiest site, has endured constant sniper fire and unrelenting attacks on the tomb and on Jewish worshipers, forcing them to travel there by armored bus.
Other Jewish religious sites supposedly protected by the Oslo accords — Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus and the “peace for Israel” synagogue in Jericho — have been desecrated after coming under Palestinian control during the current campaign of violence.
The proposed fence will guarantee free access and safety for worshippers. We hope it will also assist in preventing bombers from entering Israel — like the Bethlehem resident who last November blew himself up on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 11 and wounding 50.
Much has been said and written about the Palestinians who will supposedly be enclosed by the wall and cut off from their community. In light of the 1995 interim agreements, the area of Rachel’s Tomb was deemed to remain under Israeli control.
Of the 208 residents who will be directly separated by the fence, all will be able to move freely. Thirty-five of them carry Israeli passports, three are Christian Cypriots. The remaining 170 Palestinian citizens will be granted special permanent transit permits to pass freely into Bethlehem.
Citizens of the P.A. interested in visiting relatives who live near the site will, of course, be granted temporary visiting permits. Once the fence is erected and safety is restored, we hope businesses and commerce on both sides will flourish once again.
The separation plan is essentially about providing security and saving lives. The idea is neither an ideology nor a plan for a permanent arrangement.
Those who oppose it should do the logical things — pressure the Palestinian leaders to end terror and curb the interests of those advocating political ends through violence.
That might eliminate the reason for the plan and allow us to go back to negotiations, the eminently preferable way to achieve peace and ensure the safety and prosperity of both peoples.
David Roet is deputy consul general of Israel to the Midwest.
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