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Peace, not walls

Jul 01,2015 - Last updated at Jul 01,2015

Avoiding the logical and reasonable solution to its fears — which is a Palestinian state and peace with its Arab neighbours — Israel, true to its siege mentality, is trying to “protect” itself by building more fences, behind which it hopes to be able to hide and be safe.

Adding to the fences and barriers it has already erected with Syria, Gaza, Lebanon and Egypt, the Israeli security Cabinet on Monday decided to extend the fence along the Egyptian border to include a section along the Jordanian border, north of its southern city of Eilat.

The plan to put up such a fence along the border with Jordan was actually taken a few years ago, but was put on hold in favour of the Israel-Syria border fence.

Now it is Jordan’s turn, despite the fact that a peace treaty has existed, and held, between the two countries since 1994.

Clearly Israel does not count much on the peace treaties it signs.

“This is an important matter. It is part of our national security. It is an additional security fence we built along our border in the Sinai, which prevented the entry of illegal infiltrators into Israel, and of course of the various terror organisations,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted by the media as saying by way of justification for the latest wall buiding.

The 30-kilometre-long fence is ostensibly going to protect the Timna International Airport that Israel is planning to open next year.

If anything, the fence building means that Israel counts more on walls to protect itself than on peace deals that are, no doubt, more fruitful and secure.

It also built a monster separation wall that runs through the West Bank during the second Palestinian Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005, that severely hinders the free movement of the people under occupation, in defiance of international law and humanism.

One wonders how life is in the shade of all these walls. Who is walled in and who is walled out? What message do these walls send to Israelis?

No wonder they refuse to make peace with the world outside, which their leaders work hard to portray as hostile and insecure.

 

It costs Israel big money to put up fences along its borders, money that could have been better spent on building confidence with its Arab neighbours, especially with Jordan, with which it enjoys a peace accord that has withstood the test of time for over 20 years.

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