Page 50 - Why Israel?

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WHY ISRAEL
Each year the barrier was being built, the number of attacks and casualties dropped by nearly fifty percent!
security barrier is 440 miles. 95% of it is made of a multi-fence system, which incorporates ditches, barbed wire, patrol roads, and observation systems. There’s also a smooth strip of sand to keep track of intrusions. While the barrier was being built, it was rerouted several times due to Israeli court rulings that it might infringe on Palestinian rights. It was built to cause the LEAST inconvenience to Palestinians.
Of course there are some inconveniences. Israelis and Palestinians living on the Eastern side of the Green Line did not love the idea of the barrier. Most of the security barrier is wired fence, in fact 95% of it is fence. Five percent of it is a concrete wall that protects civilian homes and roads. The security barrier along with other security routines slows down traffic, especially in times of rush hour in the morning and afternoon.
However, it was NOT built to inconvenience, separate or shut out anyone – except terrorists. It was built because Israel has an obligation to keep its citizens safe. The effectiveness of the security barrier is tangible. In the future, when peace is achieved, the fence can be taken down. It is reversible. What is not reversible is the murder of innocent people.
Each year the barrier was being built, the number of attacks and casualties dropped by nearly fifty percent! The results were immediate. In 2002, the climax of the Second Intifada, there were more than 45 suicide bombings. By 2003, the very next year, that number dropped to about 23. Suicide bombings continued to be less and less of an imminent danger in Israel with the construc- tion of the security barrier and today they’re far less common.
Another consequence of the Second Intifada was the estab- lishment of checkpoints as a security measure against the daily threat of terrorism.