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Why do the Palestinians claim the separation or security wall erected during the

second intifada (dwarfing the size and scale of the much more famous Berlin Wall) is better described as an annexation wall? How does the new barrier further the dispossession of Palestinian land?

User Barkha
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Final answer:

Palestinians view the security wall built by Israel as an annexation wall because it has led to the dispossession of their land, encircling Jewish settlements deep within the West Bank and limiting their access to resources and freedom of movement. Israel considers the settlements in the West Bank essential for its security. The wall has had significant socio-economic impacts on Palestinian communities and has raised human rights concerns while complicating the potential for a negotiated peace.

Step-by-step explanation:

Palestinians claim that the separation or security wall, built during the second intifada, is more accurately described as an annexation wall because it has furthered the dispossession of Palestinian land. By erecting this barrier, which dwarfs the Berlin Wall in both size and scale, Israel has effectively annexed areas that would be critical to the territorial viability of a future Palestinian state.

The barrier's route often extends deep into the West Bank, encircling Jewish settlements, which Palestinians argue would end up within their proposed nation-state, thus necessitating either their evacuation or the absorption of the settlements into Palestine. However, Israel argues that the presence of these settlements makes the West Bank indefensible as a separate state and essential for security reasons.

Additionally, the barrier has socio-economic impacts by limiting Palestinians' freedom of movement, which restricts access to jobs, healthcare, and education, contributing to economic hardship. The wall also cuts off Palestinians from land and resources, notably water resources that are vitally important for agriculture, and further entrenches a system of checkpoints and military occupation.

Travel restrictions imposed by the barrier have created a segregated landscape and have effectively isolated Palestinian communities. The construction of the wall, which Israel deems necessary for security, has been widely criticized for its implications on human rights and for undermining the peace process by unilaterally determining borders outside of a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. It contributes to the ongoing conflict over land, resources, and sovereignty between Israel and the Palestinians and is symbolic of the larger disputes arising from the historical context of Israel's creation in 1948 and the subsequent Arab-Israeli wars.

User William Moore
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