Hebrew for Boondoggle

6 October 2003


Israel's Security Wall is a Waste

The Israeli cabinet voted last week to extend the wall currently under construction to keep out suicide bombers by quarantining the Palestinian-held territories. The supporters of the idea believe that it will make it harder for militants to attack civilian populations in Israel. Detractors say it precludes any peace negotiations by unilaterally creating a de facto border before negotiations. In simple truth, it is just a waste of money.

Optimism about peace in the Mid-East runs counter to experience, and exists probably because some romantic flaw in the human character believes that all problems can be solved on the basis of justice. Because motivation and opportunity are needed to commit any murder, the Israeli government is trying to eliminate opportunity -- the cabinet believes the Palestinian motivation to kill Israeli civilians cannot be addressed. It is true that that motivation will not leave some hearts until the Israelis have been driven into the sea.

However, terrorism reminds one of water, it seeks every gap in a structure and will find a way out of any container. For reasons of international politics, the Israeli cabinet chose to leave gaps in the wall that the army will patrol. It might help if each soldier given such duty receive a target sewn onto his or her shirt. It will make the Palestinian job of shooting at these sitting ducks all the easier.

Of course, the Israeli's concern at this stage is to protect people shopping in the malls of Tel Aviv and Haifa, and it a soldier's job to die for civilians. Yet, there is the matter of the religious sites in Jerusalem. So long as access to these places is permitted to all, those who have murder on their minds will have access to Israeli civilians. Bombs are impressive, but knives, rocks, and fists work as well. And cutting off access would result, rightly, in hostile world opinion.

There is some good, though, coming from the construction of the Wall; the companies that build it and provide materials for its erection will profit nicely. One wonders how much they contribute to supplement the incomes of the politicians who voted for this boondoggle.

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