West Bank 'wall': Is it justified?

Hearings into the legality of Israel's controversial West Bank barrier began at The Hague on Monday.

The International Court of Justice was asked by the United Nations General Assembly to consider the issue.

The hearings began a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed eight people and injured dozens in an explosion on a packed Jerusalem bus.

Israel is boycotting the three-day hearing and says the barrier is necessary to keep out suicide bombers.

The Palestinians argue that it's a land grab and disrupts the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Should Israel halt construction of the barrier or is it a justified security measure?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

---

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

A wall won't make Israel safe Dave Berman, New York, USA

If it wasn't justifiable in Berlin it can't be in Israel. The two sides are going to have negotiate a settlement that establishes and insures a just peace and that includes an independent Palestinian state. A wall won't make Israel safe nor will it keep out those trying to gain the world's attention through murder. Only the realisation by both sides that they must end the bloodshed and persecution on both sides.
Dave Berman, New York, USA

Construction of the wall by Israel is perfectly legal and legitimate since Israel is already an independent, sovereign state that is recognised by the international community, including former Arab enemies. The International Court of Justice has no right at all to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign country.
Abdel Karim Salim Sharif, Jerusalem, Israel

I remember almost 4 years ago, there was almost a peace deal agreed. Then right wing governments came to pass in Israel and the USA. Bush and Sharon appeared, peace evaporated and now they are blaming Arafat???
Tim Kettley, Stockholm, Sweden

I can understand the Palestinians' difficulties in getting to jobs in Israel, but Israelis also have the right to their own security and protection from suicide bombers crossing over from occupied territories. At the same time, Israel should not use the wall to legitimise any land legally belonging to Palestine.
Anol, San Francisco, USA

So many people here are missing the point. This isn't about separation, it's about land. The "wall" is being built at least partially within the occupied territories. Let Israel build a wall, but let them build it on the Israeli side of the border
Damian, Houston, USA

Until the Palestinians realise that suicide bombings will not and will never end the crisis, the wall should be speeded up Victor Agaviezor, Durban

The West Bank wall is justified! Until the Palestinians realise that suicide bombings will not and will never end the crisis, the wall should be speeded up. Israel has a right to self defence. If the Israeli government thinks the wall will achieve this end, then let it be! I want to stress that the outcome of the verdict on this issue from the International Court of Justice in The Hague will be irrelevant to the Israeli government. No pressure from any corner will move them.
Victor Agaviezor, Durban, South Africa (Nigerian)

Living behind a wall will never bring security to the Israelis. Israel has to give the Palestinians their rights back and seek reconciliation on realistic grounds. The daily humiliation and suffering of the Palestinian people has already cost Israel a lot of goodwill and understanding around the world. It cannot reject the international norms and expect the world to look the other way. It has to change its policies towards the Palestinians and give some hope to their young. When they have a reason to live, these young Palestinians will stop killing themselves and the Israelis.
MJ Khan, Melbourne, Australia

People should have better things to do with their time and resources Tony Izuogu, South Africa

I sympathise with the Palestinians. I also sympathise with the Israelis. The point is that something gave rise to the wall. The peace process would have been working if the Palestinian authorities wanted it to. Take out the suicide bombers and the wall will go down, the helicopter gunship will not be seen, the tanks will stay put, Sharon will start talking with Arafat, and peace will come. As for the so-called International Court hearing, people should have better things to do with their time and resources.
Tony Izuogu, South Africa

I think the wall is totally justified. If the Palestinians don't want the wall to be built then stop the attacks. The bomb yesterday just goes to prove how necessary the wall is. Why shouldn't the Israelis protect themselves?
Hannah H, Cardiff, Wales

Where two Nations of two different peoples and two different religions stand opposed to each other, extreme measures sometimes need to be taken. This wall is far better than Israeli helicopter gunships or Palestinian suicide bombers. In this case, segregation is the key to peace.
Tom, West Sussex, England

Israel states that the World Court should not be used for political purposes. I do not think that when thousands of people are displaced to make room for the wall that this is a political issue. Certainly when thousands of people live in ghettos and have no access to water it is a political issue. This is just Israel's excuse to try to convince people that once again the Palestinians are the ones in the wrong. The wall is not justified since it is not along the Green Line. Simple.
Kaizer, USA

Palestinians want autonomy and complete independence from Israel but also want to be able to cross the border in order to earn money in Israel because they cannot earn it at home. This barrier will give them the separation they want but at what cost?. Israel no longer needs the cheap labour force once provided from Palestine as they can now get all the cheap labour workers they need from the former Iron curtain countries. I can certainly understand Israel's attitude because of the continuous killings of Israelis in terrorist attacks but just visit the West Bank and Gaza check points and you will be able to observe the way Palestinians are treated which is not nice to see even if you understand the feelings of both sides.
Brian Humphries, Tanzania & UK

its route designed to cause maximum disruption for the Palestinians Keith, Scotland, UK

I'm shocked by the number of people who've posted here who don't seem to see anything wrong with what Israel is doing. This "Wall" is yet another tool of oppression, its route designed to cause maximum disruption for the Palestinians. How else can you explain the way it runs between villages and the fields they grow their food in, and keep their cattle? Its disgusting. What's even more disgusting is that so many people support it.
Keith, Scotland, UK

The wall seems like a non violent way to obtain some protection from attacks. Humans should always have the fundamental right to protect themselves. I see this as a potential life saving effort.
Margaret, Portland USA

Anybody who has objections to the wall should try and live in Israel to see for themselves what it's like to live with the horrors of suicide attacks on a daily basis... Since starting the wall there had been a huge reduction in such attacks therefore the wall has saved lives.
Hannah K., UK

When Israelis realize that there is no peace without justice, the wall will crumble as other walls of aggression did. It's shameful for decent Jews to allow the suffering, destruction of life and blood letting of Palestinians in the name of their alleged insecurity. it's a deceitful land grab and an unjust attempt to empty the land of it's people.
m. Zohbe, USA

The barrier is a reaction. The better question is: What is causing the reaction? And how can those forces at the root of the reaction be reduced?
Phil Butler, USA

The barrier is completely ineffective in decreasing suicide attacks. Audrey Lloyd, USA

I think the barrier is completely ineffective in decreasing suicide attacks. What it is effective at is increasing the desperation of an occupied people already under enormous economic and military stresses which, in turn, fuels the psychological engines that generates future attacks against Israelis. In other words, a downward cycle of destruction for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Audrey Lloyd, USA

I can totally understand Israel wants to keep out suicide bombers, but unfortunately the constant attacks into Palestinian territory will only create more suicide bombers. Until moves are made by both sides then the extremists on both sides will be vocal. Shutting them out of the picture can be the only way for peace. I believe Ariel Sharon has made a significant move by saying they will remove illegal settlements. This can only help matters. Hopefully it is not a tactical withdrawal
Paul, UK

The barrier is totally justified. So long as the Palestinian people are controlled by terrorist organisations there will never be peace.
Ray Anderson, UK

America went to war in order to protect their citizens against terrorism. Israel is building a wall keeping terrorists out. Where's the problem? Israel targets the leaders of terrorist groups, not innocent people. Can't the Palestinians realise that when they stop supporting these groups there will be peace?
Johann, South Africa

It is a fence for most of its length, just like the one built by the USA to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico Peter, Wales

First of all, it is NOT a wall. It is a fence for most of its length, just like the one built by the USA to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico. Secondly, the ownership of Judea, Gaza and Samaria is DISPUTED. It was previously held illegally by Jordan, and before that it was part of British Mandate land, taken from the Ottoman empire by Britain during WW1. It has never been 'Palestinian' land, and there has never been a sovereign state of 'Palestine'. If Arafat (or his successor) ever abides by the statements he made for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, then the fence can be removed or shifted. Meanwhile, Israel has every right to complete it because it has been shown to prevent virtually all terrorist attacks from the territories which it has enclosed to date.
Peter, Wales

Palestinians are traumatized by Israeli incursions; every Israeli knows someone who was in a suicide blast. Seems to me this fence will solve both peoples' problems.
Inna Tysoe, USA

The wall is a visible symbol of hatred between the Israelis and Palestinians and will only increase resentment.
Lynn, USA

Saudi Arabia is building a fence along its border with the Yemen, to keep out what it calls infiltrators. What has the World Court got to say about that?
Adam Greaves, Dubai, UAE

The fence is absolutely justified. If Israel really were interested in a land grab and the creation of 'cantons' they would have begun building the fence years ago. If Scotland allowed suicide bombers to cross into the UK on a daily basis and did nothing about it, I can bet you most Brits would love to see Hadrian's Wall reconstructed!
Nick Conway, UK

Israel didn't build the wall, terrorism did.
Robert, USA

Let us learn from history - walls never worked never established peace Hesham Sabra, Egypt

Accepting and allowing a Palestinian state with international peace keeping forces along the borders of 1967 is the only practical and logical solutions. Let the UN and USA implement this straight forward solution and save the wall money to build schools, hospitals, houses and infrastructure instead. Let us learn from history - walls never worked never established peace. Justice, equality and dialogue do!
Hesham Sabra, Egypt

It is interesting to note that not one person representing the pro wall stance has even tried to justify the route of the wall through Palestinian land. If they can I will be impressed.
C Castell, UK

RE: C Castell, The route of the fence is to protect the Israeli population, which includes those in the larger settlements. To turn your question around, why do people seem to believe the 1967 borders are a magic formula for peace? The Palestinians, just as any other sovereign people, deserve the right to live in a viable, contiguous state. Viable does mean that the state needs to be of sufficient size and w/ sufficient resources to support a growing population, but there is no magic about 1967, except as another example of how Israeli's neighbours tried to exterminate it and it survived.
Jonathan, USA

To C Castell, UK: Israel is not building the Fence (only a small portion of it is a "Wall") on Palestinians land. There is no Palestinian land. The West bank before 1967 was part of Jordan, Gaza was part of Egypt. After 1967, the war the Arabs declared and started on Israel, all this land became disputed land. Even UN resolution #242 does not call for Israel to return ALL of the disputed territories -- but to return (for peace) some of the land without jeopardizing its security. So, yes, the Fence is diverting a little bit from the green line - for the sake of Israeli citizens it is worth it. It is unfortunate that some Palestinians are affected by its location, but Israel did NOT cause this - the Palestinians Terrorists did.
Zehava, USA

When all means fails to stop the infiltration of terrorists, a wall is the best idea. India is building a similar wall on Pakistan and Bangladesh border to stop the terrorists. However, political negotiations should not be stopped because of the wall.
Vish, UK

Israelis are free to build anything they like inside Israel. However, the continuing expropriation of Palestinian land is now the root of the conflict.
Jon Davis, USA

No state in modern times has succeeded by creating a home for only one particular kind of people Sen McGlinn, Leiden

The wall is the logical expression in concrete of the two states policy - a policy which I have never supported. Let there be one state, not for Jews or Muslims or Christians or Israelis or Palestinians, but for all the citizens who live in the territory. Let it be secular, non-ideological and democratic. No state in modern times has succeeded by creating a home for only one particular kind of people.
Sen McGlinn, Leiden, The Netherlands

A wall is the only reasonable short-term solution to suicide bombers. Until both sides can decide that they need each other we should all support this solution as a necessary part of the road to peace.
Jason, USA

Though the Palestinians are not too cooperative, the wall will make matters only more complicated. It will increase resentment (justifiably) on the Palestinian side and will render the fairness future borders questionable
PK, USA

Good fences make good neighbours, as they say - so I support the wall. I just don't support where they're putting it. Stephen Israel, UK

It saddens me that people fail to understand that a physical wall will do nothing but waste money and make the potential crossers more creative. The naivety in the support of this is pitiful.
Henry, USA

All those who support the wall are supporting apartheid in a new way. Remember all of us, who are blaming Palestinians, it needs two hands to clap.
Anis Hoda, Los Angeles, USA

Is dogma worth more than innocent blood? Katherine, UK

What a horrible mess - and I'm talking about the posts to this message board and not the Wall. The Wall is just a symbol of failure - failure to empathise, failure to listen, failure to understand. All features demonstrated loud and clear by the uncompromising, one-sided views expressed here. Would everyone, Palestinian and Israeli, rather be right than alive? Is dogma worth more than innocent blood?
Katherine, UK

I think the way forward is dialogue rather than isolation. History will at last tell a tale to both parties.
Nelson, UK/Botswana

A wall to keep out terrorists! Maybe every country should do the same thing to prevent any future acts of terror. How ridiculous.
Abdul Wahid Goga, Australia

You got a better idea?
Jeremy, UK/USA

The fact that Israel feels that it needs to separate itself from Palestinians says more than anything does. It says that Israel should be doing more for peace, rather than, simply, alienating Palestinians by trying to separate the races by building such a monstrosity!
Peter, London, UK

The wall is completely justified. Israel needs the wall to protect its citizens from the Palestinian supported terrorists that kill Israeli civilians. Remember, the Palestinians attacked Israel when they had all of the West Bank and Gaza; the issue is not now nor ever has been the land.
Jeff Younger, USA

The way I see it, the wall will only add further tension to an already unstable environment. It will end up killing more people that it saves. Peace will not come to the Middle East until Israel allows Palestine the same rights as they hold themselves. If this were to happen and the two countries started working together there would be no suicide bombers left to build a wall against.
Tim Austin, Wakefield, UK

It took several years of thinking and diplomatic effort to stop the terrorist before Israel decided to build the wall. I believe this wall is a result of terror that Palestinian supported and embraced.
Abdul Kadir, USA

Bottom line...Israel was and is willing to live side by side with the Palestinians, the Arabs on the other hand don't even want Israel to exist. Israel has a every right to do whatever they can to stay in existence.
Jonathan, USA

Unfortunately, the Wall is justified because it stop would-be suicide bombers to kill Israeli and Palestinian civilians alike.
Jacques Lazier, Paris, France

It is completely unjustified. Rights should be given to their true owners. If they were given, there have been no need for such a so-called security barrier.
Nabil Abdel Ahad Abdel Baky, Cairo, Egypt

It is a form of self defence and a most basic right of any individual, or in this case any state Matt Johnson, Guam, USA

The Berlin wall was constructed by an evil dictatorship to keep people in. The West Bank wall is being constructed by a democratic, free and open society to keep terrorists out. There is no comparison of the two. If one lives in a high crime area, is it wrong to build a fence around one's house to keep the criminals out? Of course not! In fact it is a form of self defence and a most basic right of any individual, or in this case any state. If the critics don't want a world with walls, then they must stop these grotesque suicide murders! Live and let live.
Matt Johnson, Guam, USA

The construction of the wall should not only be halted but also reversed. It has never been right to steal land from your neighbour and fence it as your own. The wall looks more of a permanent border than a security fence.
Cesar Fabunan, UK

It's not so much that the West Bank wall is unjustified as that it's totally unhelpful and will set back any hope of reaching an end to the violence by at least 50 years. It can only help to entrench the hostility still further and add yet another point of contention to be overcome before any peaceful solution can be reached. Of course it is also illegal, and will be ineffective to boot, I guess people who don't learn from history really are doomed to repeat it's mistakes.
Colin Wright, UK

I think the wall is a wall against peace. It is creating more seeds of hatred and removing what little trust there is for the Palestinians.
Samar Caverly, USA

I believe that this so called security wall is a tool to steal more land from the Palestinian people. I felt, at the time, that the 1967 war by Israel was justified. However the war to protect Israel from aggression has deteriorated into a land grab. I can not believe that Israeli "settlers" should have any claim to land taken from the Palestinians. It is disgusting to see Israel behave so poorly. There will never be peace under these conditions.
Don Richardson, USA

History has proven that a wall is an ineffective method of protection against enemies. So what makes Sharon think that this one will be any different?
Bassam, Kuwait

Some justify the wall by its blocking terrorists designs. However, doing this would be like walling in South-Central LA due to its huge amount of gang crime. The peaceful majority of inhabitants are disrupted from living a free life, while the killers keep on killing regardless.
Agrem, USA

The Wall is but a symptom and not the basic issue John, India

The Wall is but a symptom and not the basic issue. Whether it is built inside the Israeli territory or outside, is inconsequential. The basic question before Israel concerns the security of its own children. And Palestinians have never helped Israel to feel secure at any time. Why blame the symptom for the disease!
John, India

Israel is perfectly entitled to build a wall for its own protection - provided it's on its own land. What it is not entitled to do is to enact "defence through conquest" by placing the barrier on land to which Israel has not the slightest legal or moral claim. If there was no dual motive behind the wall's construction, it would be built along the 1967 border.
Harry, UK

Israel should continue and finish the construction of the wall! Maybe it will add more hatred between the Jews and Arabs, but it will stop terrorists. That is more important now.
Eva, Ukraine

It is not at all justified. It annexes Palestinian land and only increases the oppression the Palestinians already live under.
Greg Wilton, Reading, UK

The failure of Arafat to stop the terrorist suicide bombers has caused Israel to take this action. Simple fact by the Israel Government is that since the wall attacks have dropped by 50 percent. It will never stop all attacks but I think an elected government has a right to do what it thinks is best to protect its citizens.
Jonathan D, UK

Ultimately, the desire of people for freedom and for peace overcomes all obstacles Arthur, UK

So, another wall. Hadrian's Wall, the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall ...they come and go. This latest creation, the West Bank Barrier (Wall) will eventually suffer the same fate as its illustrious predecessors. Ultimately, the desire of people for freedom and for peace overcomes all obstacles.
Arthur, UK

Anyone who thinks a wall is going to make Israel any safer should get their head out of the clouds. The wall creates further divide and nourishes greater hate among the 2 groups.
Saroosh Ahmed, Bensenville, IL USA

The fence is there to try to stop terrorists. Why is this seen as such a bad thing?
Harvey, England

I believe this will only make peace even less likely, pushing the 2 sides farther apart. The results will be even more hatred and despair!
Michael Shanklin, USA

The barrier is a necessary evil Sara, Texas, USA

The Israeli people came to the decision to build this barrier slowly, reluctantly, and with much apprehension. Each side feels the effects of the barrier. The movement of the Palestinians is no more limited than that of the Israelis who used to travel freely in the territories. Both nations benefited at one time from mutual respect and tolerance. Palestinians found jobs in Israel, and Israelis enjoyed free access to some of their holiest sites. It wasn't ideal, but it was workable. But today that mutual dependence has been shattered by the horrific bloodshed caused by suicide bombing. The barrier is a necessary evil, and to NOT build it would be the height of negligence for a government democratically elected to provide security for its citizens. The wall is temporary, death is not.
Sara, Texas, USA

The wall is justified insofar as it is the only way of keeping terrorists out for sure. The Middle East will never be peaceful and this is the only sure way of keeping terrorists out.
Anthony Harrison, England

Anyone who has listened to the narrow minded rhetoric of either a Palestinian or an Israeli fanatic as I have, in person, knows that the wall is justified - absolutely. The real tragedy is that the majority of Palestinians and the majority of Israelis are reasonable and good people and want peace as well as peaceful coexistence. I wish, and pray, that some higher authority would just take the fanatical rabble rousing clerics, stubborn self serving leaders, and the blood thirsty fanatics "on both sides," stick them on a ship together and sink it !! Then perhaps there could be real peace in this beautiful land.
John, New Jersey, USA

Anyone who believes that Israel would be safer if it were to pull back to its pre-1967 borders is kidding himself or herself. They were not safe before 1967 and they are not safe now. Arab countries have never been willing to coexist with Israel. As testament to this, Israel has had to fight many wars with its neighbours thus resulting in Arabs continually losing ground to them. Had a path of peaceful dialogue been pursued by the Arab states, Israel would still be within its original borders and no wall would be necessary
Michael, USA

To Michael from the USA. If a peaceful approach had been taken from the start, then Israel might very well not exist. After all, when did anybody in the Middle East agree to ceding land for the creation of a Jewish state. It is time (it is actually already too late) to accept that all sides have blood on their hands.
Steven, Belgium

When the Palestinians are more interested in building their own state than they are in destroying Israel, then there will be no need for the wall. But for now, the wall is unquestionably justified, and unquestionably necessary.
James Ardoin, Las Vegas

Who in the world could accept illegal intrusion (terrorists or settlers)? François, France

Even if it doesn't make me happy, I can understand that a wall is the least bad solution to guarantee safety to Israel. But in order to not turn this wall as a provocation, it should be built in the Israeli side of the green line. And in addition, Israel should remove all its settlements from the Palestinian territories, that's the main issue and no definitive solution will be found until territories are occupied. Who in the world could accept illegal intrusion (terrorists or settlers)?
François, France

Is this wall to keep the Palestinian's in or the Jews out? Hopefully the wall will meet the same end as the Berlin wall - demolished as a sign of peace and unity in the Middle East.
Benjamin Raine, UK

Yes it is justified but it is an acknowledgement of defeat by all the leaders of both sides.
Artur Freitas, South Africa

The wall should be taken down immediately. No wall will stop terrorism - it will only increase it. It does nothing to address the causes of terrorism.
Mary O'Connell, Belgium

There are plenty of walls in the world that are (apparently) not Apartheid racist crimes against humanity. This will be another one. Sure, I hope in 10 years it will be an anachronism from the time it was socially and tacitly politically acceptable for a Palestinian to kill 20 people on a bus or in a pizza parlour. We are not there yet.
John, USA

There is no justification for the wall. Israel will not be any safer once the wall has finished. Most of the suicide bombers that got in went through check points. So you have to ask yourself what the real reason is for the wall. In the short-term it is to humiliate the Palestinians and in the long-term a starting point for a border.
Riz, UK

I spent October in the West Bank and saw the futility of the wall Clare Meiklejohn, UK

This wall/fence cannot lead to peace for either Israelis or Palestinians. I spent October in the West Bank and saw the futility of the wall and how it cuts Palestinians off from their land, jobs, relatives, friends and schools; causing daily frustration and humiliation. Meanwhile more and more Israeli settlements are being built on West Bank land. Many Israeli military officers are critical of this barrier.
Clare Meiklejohn, UK

Just ten years ago tens of thousands of Palestinian labourers were employed on Tel-Aviv construction sites and in agriculture. Thousands of Israelis used shops and restaurants in Ramallah and Jericho. Arafat's rejection of peace forced Israel to defend herself with Palestinians paying the price for corrupt and murderous policy of their regime.
Tom, UK

Of course the wall is immoral. How much longer can the Israeli establishment steal land and property from the indigenous inhabitants and then be surprised at the outcry? Of course Israel has security concerns, but nailing the Palestinian population into a very small corner of their land will only exacerbate the situation. Perhaps it is time to pick up from 1948 and actually address the core issue of the problem - the expulsions of the Palestinians, the quasi-legal appropriation of their properties and land and the ongoing policy of impoverisation and repression.
Russell Harris, UK

As it is being constructed, the wall is just another obstacle to peace in the region. Sure, suicide bombings are abhorrent but no more so than military missile attacks on busy civilian streets. After 40 years of conflict the distrust runs so deep that these two communities cannot be left to solve the problem on their own anymore. It is time the international community intervened forcefully. To enable this the US must stop its policy of vetoing all resolutions that are critical of Israel and crippling the UN's power to act.
Nigel, Oxford, UK

Anything is justified if it helps preserve Israeli lives and security against terrorist attack John Holmes, Canada

I have personally heard high ranking Muslims, even clerics, state that they would never consent to living in peace with Israelis. They felt there was no place in their contentions for any negotiated settlement. There was simply nothing to discuss. So, is a defensive action against Muslims who seek to destroy Jews, and particularly those who seek to destroy Israel, justified ? That question is itself a farce. Anything is justified if it helps preserve Israeli lives and security against terrorist attack by those hell bent to destroy them. Anything.
John Holmes, Canada

It would be justified if it was erected along the Israeli borders recognised by international community. Now that it "eats" a big chunk of the disputed areas it can never be justified and right. How would the Israelis feel if the Palestinians started building a wall around a land they claimed as their own?
Mehrdad, Finland

It is amazing that when Israel is mentioned persons such as yourselves lose all contact with common sense! How many million miles of fencing have been erected all over this earth to keep out intruders? How many BBC properties have no fencing or gates? The answer is, of course, none. How many fences were erected in N. Ireland to keep out terrorists by the army and police? The answer to your question is obvious or should be to any intelligent person.
R. McNamara, Eire

The barrier is perfectly legal. The problem of its location arises from the refusal of the Arabs of Palestine to agree a border (repeatedly in 1937, 1947 and 2000). Perhaps readers should know that "Palestine" is a League of Nations creation, first administered by the British as trustees, inhabited by both Jews and Arabs, and of which the legal heirs by UN resolutions are Jordan and Israel. Both occupied the West Bank illegally at different times (Jordan 1949-1967; Israel 1967-present), which is why the League of Nations mandate is still valid there (even though the trustee left). If a third party, the Palestinian Authority, wants a carve of it, they should negotiate. Otherwise, no legal border exists there, and the legal parties have a right to defend themselves by all legal means, of which a barrier is the most benign.
Anat, Israel

The barrier will further fuel the tensions that exist Shak, UK

Israel is in contravention of many UN resolutions, but the US and UK seem to avoid discussing the subject every time it is raised. Lip service is given to condemning the barrier but in reality the US is keen to ensure their ever increasing stronghold remains in the middle east. The barrier will further fuel the tensions that exist. Not only has Israel taken the land from the Palestinians but they are now taking more and caging the innocent people like animals, how do they expect them to react!
Shak, UK

Israel was created as a home for oppressed people; specifically Jews. So why can't it now adapt its constitution and democracy to make it a home for ALL oppressed people; at least those with some sort of connection to the boundaries of the former Palestine? It could then become a secular state and a homeland for both Israelis/Jews and Palestinians/Arabs. Ethnically, they are surprisingly closely related!
PJ, W. Yorks, UK

If the wall will succeed in stopping future Palestinian bomb attacks, it will also stop the need for IDF incursions into the West Bank. The reason that the PA (and Arab states) gravely oppose this wall, is that such a unilateral separation of the two peoples by Israel would mean de facto self determination. In other words, the PA would be accountable for the state of Palestinian politics (which has hitherto been deplorable)without having the luxury of blaming any of its mishaps on Israel. The wall may not be prettiest of solutions, but in the long run it may prove to be our best bet yet.
Ilan Cohen, Rotterdam, Holland

The continued deprivation of the Palestinians most basic right to live freely on their own land is outrageous. The building of this wall by occupiers is the greatest form of injustice this world has ever seen.
Rahela Khan, Pakistan

It is absolutely justified, provided that it follows the internationally agreed border Miklos Nomad, Hungary

It is absolutely justified, provided that it follows the internationally agreed border of 1967. It is necessary and it is the only way to give the Israelis the security they need. The Israelis are not entitled to any conquest of any kind. All nations and nationalities must follow international rules of borders. Nobody should follow the example set by Bush and Blair to overrule the international authority.
Miklos Nomad, Hungary

Until the Palestinian people truly accept the permanent presence of Jews in the Middle East, what alternative does Israel have? Building a fence is a far more humane defensive measure than bombing the West Bank into submission. The French in Algeria, the Americans in Vietnam and the Russians in Chechnya have shown far less concern for avoiding civilian casualties than have the Israelis.
Richard, USA

A most interesting aspect of this case is that it is being brought by Israeli human rights groups. Do the Israeli people feel the security barrier is not justified?
Martin B, Eastbourne,

Martin, it is wrong to say that people in Israel do not want the fence. There is a small minority that does not want it and argues against. But in a democratic country they definitely have freedom of speech and use it. This is normal. Just don't take any conclusions from here. There are also soldiers that refuse to serve on territories. But it is not even 1% so don't take conclusions.
Vladimir, Israel

Surely the measure by which the justification for the wall should be measured is that of whether it will be a positive move towards peace and stability in the region? It will just be more fuel to the fire of mistrust, resentment and violence.
lee b, Eastbourne, UK

One fundamental problem that the area has is that it is overpopulated Graeme Phillips, Berlin

One fundamental problem that the area has is that it is overpopulated. This is being exacerbated by the fact that the Israelis and Palestinians are constantly trying to out-populate each other. This silly numbers game, along with the fact that Israel is so ridiculously dependent on Palestinian labour, means that no barrier is going to solve the problem.
Graeme Phillips, Berlin, Germany (normally UK)

The PA was in favour of the "Wall" (congrats on the inverted commas by the way, as you are aware all but three miles is a fence) but have turned against it for publicity only. It is entirely justified - an equivalent fence in Gaza has already reduced terrorist murders significantly from that area. That is its sole purpose. To suggest otherwise is to fall for the disingenuous propaganda of the time-serving PA.
Joel, UK

Both Israelis and Palestinians need to start demolishing the barriers to peace that exist in their hearts and minds. Then there will be no need for a physical barrier to be built.
Jane, Wales, UK

Once again the human rights brigade come out in force against something which is totally justified. When will this people wake up to the fact that what is happening in Israel is terrible and the actions of Palestinians who commit suicide bombings are just terrorism. Why can't the human rights brigade come out fighting on the side of the normal people to help protect them from these bombers. Israel is within it's rights to protect it's people in anyway that it sees fit in its own land and if building a wall is that then so be it.
Kev D, UK

Why does Kev D, UK use the words "human rights brigade"? I don't belong to any brigade. I have my conscience and my beliefs. I do want to see human rights respected. For a Palestinian, this human right may be a certain freedom of movement. For an Israeli, this human right would to go about his life without the fear of being blown up. Is the wall the answer?
Pascal Jacquemain, UK (French)

The fence is justified: any country has a right for self-defence Vladimir, Israel

The fence is justified: any country has a right for self-defence. UK, USA and USSR occupied German to protect themselves. What is not acceptable is to see the fence as further border. The fence serves only security needs and takes in account only security aspects. I don't support the idea of total withdrawing of Israel. However, the future border should be defined (hopefully in negotiation) based on balance of population, security and other issues.
Vladimir, Israel

The Israeli authorities obviously feel the most important factor is the protection of their citizens. Not a bad idea in itself and something that I'm sure many Palestinians would concur. It does, however, seem rather a draconian measure for the year 2004 and rather a depressing thought that after all these years of needless loss of life on both sides, this is the point we have arrived at!
Martin B, UK

Maybe the Wall would be less contentious if it were being built on Israel's land and not used as a de facto excuse to annex even more of the Arab's land. If I chose to build a fence in my garden then that is my business, when I build my fence in your garden then you're quite rightly going to object.
David, UK

The wall is illegal and totally unnecessary Mark, England

The wall is illegal and totally unnecessary. The Israelis could stop all violence perpetrated against them overnight if they would only withdraw behind the 1967 boundaries and hand back the land they have been occupying since the 6 Day War. The PLO have long since accepted the existence of Israel and it is only this continued occupation, declared illegal by countless UN resolutions and in direct defiance of the 4th Geneva convention, which fuels the hatred and enables the more extreme groups such as Hamas to recruit suicide bombers. What is happening in the middle east is no different to what was happening in South Africa during the Apartheid. The world protested then and should do so again now.
Mark, England

The wall is justified due to the Palestinians leaderships refusal to cooperate with the Israelis on a Palestinian state. The ordinary Palestinians suffer due their leadership's intransigence and failure to face reality
John K, Liverpool

Given the fact that we intervened in a sovereign country (Iraq) on a pre-emptive basis, maybe the time has come to deal with the Israel / Palestine problem in the same way. If we do not get involved the consequences for the region and global stability do not bear thinking about. Maybe the world could prevent the new wall and further slaughter on both sides by threatening them both with the strongest military action if they do not stop and talk. If completed, this wall is going to make things a lot worse. The time has come for the world to stop playing politics and get its hands dirty.
Roger Morgan Freedlan, England

Roger Morgan Freedlan, England: We don't take military action because Israel could have up to 400 nuclear warheads pointing at targets throughout the ME, Russia and Europe. We will, therefore let them have their wall, legal or otherwise. Besides, if they wish to protect their citizens from terrorism - albeit caused by them - they have a right to.
Andy, UK

Since they are under attack by fanatical terrorists it's as justified as the US invading Afghanistan and Iraq. Israel is guilty of many things, but since 1948 they have been attacked by their Arab neighbours is it any wonder that they have developed a siege mentality?
John, UK