THe fence has made a serious dent in the number of attacks and reprisals. I fact this may be leading to the self destruction of the PLO at this point so that real leadership may emerge.
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The fence strategy also seems to work, at least in terms of the immediate calculus of casualties. A fence erected in Gaza in 1994 with the same goal has proven effective in reducing terrorism, and therefore the goal of protection seems to have been met. With the portions of the new wall that are completed, the overall decline in the number and lethality of the attacks speak for themselves. There have been 30% less attacks and 50% fewer killed at least partly due to the fence.4 This may be why nearly 70% of the Israeli people support its construction.5 Furthermore, with the increased security of the fence, it would be possible to reduce the number of Israeli soldiers in Palestinian areas.
Israel is also maintaining that the fence is only a temporary measure and can be dismantled to meet any future negotiated border agreements. Israeli leaders have kept similar promises in the past. For instance, Israel was willing to shift the route of the fence to keep the UN Resolution 425, which called for withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Israel insists that precautions are being taken to minimize the impact of the fence on Palestinian's lives while it must be in place. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) says that "ninety-eight percent of Palestinians living in the West Bank will not be affected by so called enclaves."6 This number seems slightly optimistic, but the Israeli government claims it is building on public land. If the fence does pose an unforeseen problem, an appeal procedure is available for parties wishing to make use of it.
Some opponents have unfairly compared the fence to the Berlin Wall, which separated Germans from Germans. The West Bank wall separates two peoples who do not see themselves as possessing a single national or political identity. Only 10% of the wall is actually concrete, while the rest is fence, with dozens of passageways being constructed. Those who rigidly oppose the fence deliberately use loaded terms like "Berlin Wall" in order to emotionally move people by propaganda rather than rationality, and arguments like that ought not to be taken seriously.
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http://www.globalengagement.org/issu...stbankwall.htm
http://www.israelnewsagency.com/isra...ence10020.html