Monday, February 8, 2016

Did the Wall Save Israel?

In the following Arutz Sheva article discussing Israelis remembering 9/11 it is asserted that the Wall constructed under Prime Minister Sharon stopped terrorism against Israelis.
I wasn't in America when 9/11 happened. I was in my living room when my children called me. We were used to terror attacks happening here very frequently. That was before we built the security fence/wall that has cut terror attacks down by more than 90%. Say what you want, but there are hundreds of Israelis alive today because of that wall. (September 11, 2014.)
Actually it is highly contested whether the Wall had such a beneficial effect at all. This is especially noticeable considering the numerous stabbing attacks that have occurred since October 1, 2015.

But what cannot be disputed is that the Wall has had a terrible impact on the Palestinian economy. The Wall creates poverty for Palestinians. The Wall creates economic misery for the Palestinians. The following was noted in a previous post.
In total, the Wall in Jerusalem causes US$194 million in damages per annum. In the years from 2000 to 2009, it has already caused more than US$1.94 billion in income loss. These figures must be updated to account for the natural growth of the population, and will therefore increase further and continue to accumulate at an accelerated rate until the Wall is removed. (Shir Hever, The Political Economy of Israel's Occupation, Chapter 6, p. 127.)
Furthermore it was the Wall that sparked BDS movement in the first place in 2005 which calls for a boycott of Israel. It was issued one year after the International Criminal Court ruled that the Wall was illegal. If that Wall had not been built (or if the ruling had been followed) and further political advances made in the negotiations there may well have been no such thing as BDS.

The Wall needs to be demolished.

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