Portions of the Separation Wall, Bethlehem.
View of an Israeli settlement, from balcony of Palestinian homein Beit Sahour (near Bethlehem).
Traveling through this area, one can not escape the presence of the Separation Wall. You can see it from afar, and feel it up close traveling from one city to another. It has an undeniable, unbreakable, overwhelming presence.
What was confusing to me was that I thought Israel was building this wall in such a way that all of "Israel" was on one side and all of "Palestine" on the other, thus explaining why it is called the "separation" wall, or "security" wall/fence. But, that's not what's happening.
"Settlements" of Israeli people reach far into the Palestinian areas, and are expanding. Israel then annexes the land, establishing control over it, deep within the West Bank. As we learned first hand olive picking, many Palestinian farms will be divided or enclosed entirely within "Israel" with planned construction.
It is hard, then, to accept the justification of "security" when the plans for the wall enclose Palestinians in Israeli areas, and Israeli settlements stretch into Palestinian areas. It feels more like a psychological assault. It, along with blockages and checkpoints abound, continuously send the message to Palestinians that they do not have control over their movements, livelihoods, destinies.
What was confusing to me was that I thought Israel was building this wall in such a way that all of "Israel" was on one side and all of "Palestine" on the other, thus explaining why it is called the "separation" wall, or "security" wall/fence. But, that's not what's happening.
"Settlements" of Israeli people reach far into the Palestinian areas, and are expanding. Israel then annexes the land, establishing control over it, deep within the West Bank. As we learned first hand olive picking, many Palestinian farms will be divided or enclosed entirely within "Israel" with planned construction.
It is hard, then, to accept the justification of "security" when the plans for the wall enclose Palestinians in Israeli areas, and Israeli settlements stretch into Palestinian areas. It feels more like a psychological assault. It, along with blockages and checkpoints abound, continuously send the message to Palestinians that they do not have control over their movements, livelihoods, destinies.
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