Israel is receiving considerable criticism today for the construction of its anti-terrorist barrier.
However, this barrier was erected AFTER the launch of the ongoing Palestinian bombing campaign against civilian Jews on buses, in restaurants, on their way to school.
Media commentators refer almost exclusively to the 4% of the anti-terrorist barrier that consists of a wall, ignoring the remaining 96% that consists of an entirely transparent fence.
There are no demands on the Palestinians to stop their wave of homicide bombings and other terrorism – the only reason for building the barrier in the first place.
Despite international condemnation, Yasser Arafat has not shown any willingness to stop Palestinian mass indoctrination that actively encourages gross anti-Jewish violence – indoctrination that takes place via Palestinian schoolbooks, radio, TV and newspapers.
It is scarcely surprising that the Palestinians do not want either the fence or the wall; there are few Israelis who like this monstrosity either. But virtually all Israelis regard the barrier – whatever form it takes – as a necessary evil.
Because the fact is that the barrier works. Today, the only attacks that succeed are those perpetrated where there is not yet any barrier. In the north of Israel where the barrier is already in place, the frequency of attacks has already been slashed by over 50%.
The long-term solution lies in the creation of a Palestinian state. There’s nothing new in that solution – the suggestion of separation into one Palestinian-Jewish and one Palestinian-Arab state was accepted by Israel already back in 1948. Now, however, there is pressure from outside quarters to draw the borders of a future Palestinian-Arab state along the so-called “green line”.
The problem, however, is that this “green line” is only a ceasefire line, it is the line along which Israel back in 1948 laid down its arms in its defensive war against mass Palestinian-Arab terrorism supported by five attacking Arab armies whose aim was to drive the Jews into the sea.
Political borders can only be settled through negotiation. Negotiation requires that Palestinian terrorists stop murdering Israelis. Since nothing is being done, however, to stop this ongoing mass-murder, Israel is erecting a barrier to prevent further atrocities. It is a barrier that can be taken down as fast as it was erected, if only Palestinian terrorism stops. The fact that another 11 Israeli bus passengers were massacred a week ago and an additional 60 civilians were maimed for life by Palestinian terrorists doesn’t exactly do a lot to boost Palestinian credibility when they claim they are in favour of a negotiated settlement.
Not all critics of Israel are anti-Semites. If criticism is also levelled against Saudi Arabia, which is building a barrier with Yemen to keep out Al Qaeda terrorists, or against the Palestinian Authority’s incitement of its own children to the mass-murder of Jews, for instance, then it is of course easier to deal with criticism of Israel’s barrier without any suspicion that this criticism is fuelled solely by anti-Semitism.
However, one-sided criticism of only the Jewish state casts an unequivocal shadow of anti-Semitism. It is only natural to regard one-sided criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism when it may in fact simply reflect devastating ignorance and blind partiality.