Why Israel refuses to complete West Bank security fence

A Palestinian man uses a rope to climb over a section of Israel’s controversial separation barrier

Mazal Mualem writes in Al Monitor, “On June 6, the Knesset voted down for the third time a proposed bill by opposition lawmaker Omer Barlev of the Zionist Camp mandating completion of the barrier between Israel and the West Bank, which he views as vital for terrorism prevention. Opposition to the bill was led by the three main coalition parties: Likud, HaBayit HaYehudi and Yisrael Beitenu…Israel started building the barrier in June 2002, at the height of the second intifada (2000-2005) in which hundreds of Israelis were killed in Palestinian terror attacks. Until then, the absence of a fence between sovereign Israel and the area it conquered in the 1967 war allowed terrorists to reach the heart of Israeli towns and villages in a matter of minutes or hours.”…

separation wall/security fence

“Barlev, a reserve colonel and former commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, has been trying in recent years to force the government to complete the barrier. He argues that while the country’s security experts are in no doubt about its necessity to avert terrorism, the government is dragging its feet for political reasons. He is referring to the powerful pro-settlement lobby, which fears that the barrier would determine the future border if an agreement is reached with the Palestinians granting them a state, whereas the settlers are seeking an annexation of their communities to Israel.” (more…)