“The Wall” has been thrown around in American vernacular since U.S. President Donald Trump proposed his plan for the Southern U.S.-Mexican border wall during his campaign run in 2016. However, for people living in Israel, the term “The Wall” hasa very different, very real meaning.
The Israeli government began construction in 2000 as a response to the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising, and the wall has stood for the last 19 years since. Built along the Green Line, a line referring to the 1949 borders of Israel before the 1967 war, the wall acts as the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank. The wall is 440 miles long and cuts 11 miles deep into the territory of the West Bank, which is governed by the Palestinian Authority (also known as the ‘PA’).
According to the Israeli government officials, such as Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, head of the International Media Branch, the wall serves to protect Israeli civilians from potential threats. There were 73 suicide bombings targeting Israelis from 2000-2003. After the completion of the first segment of the wall in 2003, there were only 12 suicide attacks from 2003 to 2006. Initially intended to be a temporary security measure, the wall still stands. According to Palestinians, the wall is a racist construction to further separate the Israelis from the Palestinians and is a visual representation of the apartheid state of Israel.
Below are some images of “The Other Wall”.