West Bank Barrier: Myths & Facts

The vast majority of the barrier is constructed in a similar matter

Contrary to what is commonly shown in the media, the West Bank barrier is not a giant wall-that is not to say that a wall doesn't exist, but it only makes up 5% of the total barrier. 95% of the barrier looks similar to the picture on the left.
Prior to the construction of the wall, there was nothing stopping a Palestinian suicide bomber from running into Israel. "During the 34 months from the beginning of the violence in September 2000 until the construction of the first continuous segment of the security fence at the end of July 2003, [West Bank]-based terrorists carried out 73 attacks in which 293 Israelis were killed and 1950 wounded. In the 11 months between the erection of the first segment at the beginning of August 2003 and the end of June 2004, only three attacks were successful, and all three occurred in the first half of 2003."

source: www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

However, the barrier has been quite controversial. Yet many other countries have developed walls way more advanced than the Israelis, including the United States, Spain, the UK, Turkey, and even the UN. Still, many accuse the barrier of disrupting the lives of everyday Palestinians. In fact, according to a UN report, "Movement within the northern West Bank, for example, is less restrictive where the Barrier has been constructed". In addition, Israel has spend roughly half a billion dollars in infrastructure to "ease the lives of Palestinians affected by the fence by building extra roads, passageways, and tunnels".

For more information regarding the West Bank Barrier, check out the Jewish Virtual Library's continuously updated page, as well as the Wikipedia page. Or, check out the video below, produced by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.