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Map of Israel Security Barrier ("Wall")- Current Status (2006) |
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Map of Israel Security Barrier ("Wall")- Current Status (2006) |
Map of Israel Security Barrier ("Wall")- Current Status (2006)
June 2006
Israel is building a security fence in the West Bank. The fence was originally supposed to follow the green line 1948 border more or less and protect Israeli towns and villages from incursions by terrorists (click here for original proposed path). After the re-election of Ariel Sharon, the path of the fence changed.
The information on this page reflects the latest changes in the route of the Israeli Security Barrier (or Separation Fence or Wall), as of April 2006.
Note - Ma'ariv published the supposed "final route" of the security barrier on October 24 2003. Click here to see it in English translation. However, the route has since changed SEVERAL TIMES. The next evolution occurred in (March 2005) to encompass only 7% of the West Bank.
The fence aroused opposition from right-wing Israelis and settlers, because it would "define" the route of the fence as the approximate border, and leave most of the settlements outside. The Palestine National Authority opposes t the fence as well. Palestinians oppose the fence because:
* It encloses Palestinian territory on the Israeli side, de - facto annexing it to Israel.
* It cuts people off from work, medical services and their fields
* In some places it runs through the middle of towns and in front of entrances of houses.
Opponents of the security barrier call it an "Apartheid Wall." It is mostly a chain-link fence, but makes use of prefabricated concrete slabs in built-up areas.
Israeli peace groups wanted the fence to be built along the 1949 Green Line armistice border. IDF security experts argue that the topography does not permit putting the barrier along the green line in many places, because there would be hills or tall buildings on the Palestinian side. In the Jerusalem area, the old border cut the city in two. The Old City of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount and Jewish quarter would be unprotected, and parts of the road to Jerusalem would lie on the other side of the barrier, as well as the Hebrew University campus at Mt. Scopus.
Demonstrations against the barrier have often been suppressed by the IDF with rubber bullets and other extreme force, though the demonstrations by Palestinians and by Israeli anarchists were non-violent. This lends an additional dimension to the problems associated with the barrier.
The Israel Ministry of Defense claims that fields and orchards blocked by the fence are replanted in accessible locations by the IDF, and that 60,000 olive trees have been replanted under this program.
In July of 2004 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague gave an advisory (non-binding) ruling that declared the barrier violates international law, because its route does not take sufficient account of the suffering caused to Palestinians. The court further ruled that any part of the barrier built on the Palestinian side of the Green Line is illegal. Israel rejected the ICJ opinion. Nonetheless, the Israel High Court has ruled many sections of the barrier to be illegal because the route does not provide the proper balance between security needs and hardship to the population. This, along with US pressure, has caused the Israel government to revise the route of the barrier several times, including moving sections that were already built.
Responding to international pressure and Israeli court rulings, the Israel government has changed the proposed route of the fence several times. Previously it was altered in February, 2005. Click here for Map of Israel Security fence route in February 2005.
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As Israeli policy and realities of relationships with Palestinians changed, the route and significance of the barrier has changed. The US has forced alterations in the route of the fence so that it would not cut so deeply into Palestinian territory. The fence has become a key component in the convergence ("realignment") plan of the Israeli government, which would see a withdrawal of Israeli settlers from most of the West Bank. Originally, the withdrawal was intended to include all of the area up to the fence. However, the plan was altered a few times, and some of the latest announcements indicate that some Jewish settlements will remain outside the fence, but will not be removed. The government has also hinted that the route of the fence might be changed again to allow inclusion of additional communities. The map below shows the route of the fence according to the plan announced in April 2006. Most of the 2006 changes seem to be minor. The fence route has been moved closer to the Green line in the southern portion of its border. Unapproved routes near Ariel have not been approved for the most part. Note that the detail Betselem map shown here shows that the fenced-in area includes Gilo. Har Homa, Ras el Amud, Tzur Baher and other areas that were not part of Israel. In the IDF map (see Map of Israel Security Fence/Barrier According to IDF some of these areas are shown as being within the Green line, but the fence route is shown in the same location. |
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A larger version of this map is here: Map of Israel Security Fence/Barrier According to Betselem
Detailed maps:
Israel Security Fence - Detail Map - Northern Section
Israel Security Fence - Detail
Map - Qalqilia Section
Israel Security Fence - Detail Map - Jerusalem Section
Israel Security Fence - Detail Map -
Southern Section
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