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Abstract

Israel began constructing a separation barrier in 2003 in response to increasing terrorism and suicide bombings by the Palestinians during the Second Intifada (Dowty, 2005, p. 171). The separation barrier is an elaborate 400-mile security system of concrete walls, fences, barricades and checkpoints built to protect Israeli citizens (Vick & Arik, 2010). The wall portion of the barrier was constructed of thick reinforced concrete, stands approximately 25 feet tall, and separates the West Bank and Israel boundaries. There is bitter contention over whether the barrier was properly placed along the official partition boundaries. The concrete barriers were built in the denser populated areas along the West Bank, while a series of electronic fences were constructed in the less populated areas (Author Field Notes, 8 June 2010). A written description of the wall cannot convey the magnitude of the size of the wall. I saw the wall for the first time as a participant in a study abroad in Israel in June 2010. The enormous, gray concrete wall was daunting as it jutted up from the arid land and almost appeared misplaced on the landscape. The wall had an imposing presence when seen for the first time in Jerusalem. The wall created dark shadows on the streets as it blocked the sun. As the bus navigated the city streets, the dark gray wall obstructed any view. Traffic was forced to take a series of streets to circumvent the barrier. Streets that were once thoroughfares were now dead-end. It was difficult to determine if the wall was for keeping people out or for caging people in (Author Field Notes, 8 & 14 June 2010).

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