The Wall that Fuels Violence

A novel wave of suicide attacks with a fundamentally different method and roots has recently started in Israel. In the latest incident, an Arab of East Jerusalem driving a black BMW, plowed into a group of Israeli soldiers and civilians near the Jaffa gate of the Old City. Before being shot by an Israeli soldier, the attacker wounded more than 20 soldiers. Although the driver’s family claimed this incident to be a traffic accident, not a terrorist attack, Israelis regarded it as a terror attack and responded accordingly. This attack has been the third of the same kind carried out this year; the only difference being that the vehicles used for the previous similar attacks were a bulldozer and tractor, not an “ultimate driving machine.” All of the perpetrators were residents of East Jerusalem, and based on what the Israeli internal security service had to say, none of them were affiliated with any known terrorist cell. In other words, while Israel diverts her attention and energy toward the cells in the occupied West Bank and withdrawn Gaza, unanticipated attacks have been coming from the annexed territories of East Jerusalem. Considering the demography and security vulnerabilities of Jerusalem, it is highly probable that such attacks seem to continue in the days to come.

What makes the new wave of attacks quite unmanageable for the Israeli security services is the fact that the perpetrators are either Israeli citizens or carry working permits in Israel. As the Shin Bet puts it “when terrorists are Israeli, our hands are tied.” The suspected terrorists have blue Israeli identity cards, which provide them full access to Jerusalem. Actually, the Shin Bet makes another important, rather unusual, statement after the latest attack. The Shin Bet said there are no ties between the drivers in the latest incidents and Palestinian militant factors and added “In the past, terrorists from East Jerusalem acted mainly as support units for attacks, usually under instruction by outside networks in Gaza Strip and West Bank. In recent months we discern a change in that the terrorists from Jerusalem have been initiating terrorism without outside guidance.” Due to the “awareness of the fence is creating a long-term estrangement between Jerusalem and the West Bank” and motivated by a grassroots desire “to ensure Jerusalem does not disappear from the political agenda,” East Jerusalem Arabs have started to act on their own recently. The Shin Bet stated, most importantly, that it is the West Bank separation wall that is fuelling attacks by the Arabs of East Jerusalem, who feel isolated from fellow Palestinians and increasingly likely to lash out independently.

Israel commenced her one of the most controversial projects, the extensive fence and wall complex in the West Bank, in 2002. Since then the project has been harshly criticized by the international community, including even the United States. Officially, Israel argues that the wall’s purpose is to provide security for Israelis; however, there are two sides facing the wall. Each side regards the wall in a different manner. For the Israelis, it is a fly screen hindering terrorist penetration; for the Palestinians, it is an iron bar caging their freedom. Research indicates that the wall works efficiently as a fly screen; however, same research also stresses that it actually works as iron bars for Palestinians. There has been a drastic reduction in the number of Palestinian infiltration and suicide bombings since the beginning of the construction; however, it is also known by the authorities that the wall incarcerated the Palestinians living around its route, placed high restrictions on transportation, trade and education, last but not least, confiscated Palestinian land, including cultivated areas. %6.1 of the Palestinian population of the West Bank was separated from cultivated land by the currently constructed wall. This number will rise to %22.6 with the addition of approved wall trajectory.

There are two sides facing the wall. For the Israelis, it draws the desired boundaries of the state. (As Olmert says, Israel's permanent borders would run along or close to the barrier) For the Palestinians, it progressively makes the borders of the long-awaited Palestinian state smaller. There are two sides facing the wall. The wall gives a sense of security to the Israeli side, while it gives a sense of estrangement to the Palestinian side. There are two sides facing the wall. Each side regards the wall in a different manner; what is common for both sides is the violence the wall escalates.