Israel Resumes Construction of Separation Wall in Southern West Bank

Part of the construction work on the separation barrier in the vicinities of Salem village on Israel’s northern border with the West Bank. (DPA)
Part of the construction work on the separation barrier in the vicinities of Salem village on Israel’s northern border with the West Bank. (DPA)
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Israel Resumes Construction of Separation Wall in Southern West Bank

Part of the construction work on the separation barrier in the vicinities of Salem village on Israel’s northern border with the West Bank. (DPA)
Part of the construction work on the separation barrier in the vicinities of Salem village on Israel’s northern border with the West Bank. (DPA)

The Israeli army announced Friday that its forces and engineering units launched the construction work on the southern West Bank section of the separation barrier between the occupied territories in 1948 and 1967.

The army said the step aims to prevent Palestinians from southern Hebron from entering Israel, under the pretext of “preventing and thwarting terrorist operations.”

The military said in a statement that the work has already led to a “significant decrease in the number of illegal infiltrations into Israeli territory.”

It pointed out that 60 engineering vehicles and three battalions were working to build the barrier in the Judean Desert area in the West Bank.

The plan included digging a deep trench over some 20 kilometers to prevent the passage of people and vehicles.

The Israeli army said that five kilometers of the trench have already been dug and other seven-and-a-half kilometers have been prepared, in coordination with the Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority.

According to the army, resuming the construction wall is part of its “Waves Breaker” ongoing operation, launched in the West Bank back in March.

Under the operation, Israeli forces carry out large-scale arrests among Palestinians under the pretext of “arresting wanted persons and suspects in security cases and thwarting sabotage acts using public and secret means.”

Dozens of people were detained as part of the campaign, and about 20 were killed, including journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

However, the occupation army described it as a “successful campaign” that led to “a significant decrease in the number of infiltrations in recent weeks through the so-called Seam Zone (the area between the separation fence and Israel).”

Although work has just begun, the army stated that in recent weeks its forces were able to prevent more than 200 vehicles from entering Israel illegally.

It said it arrested dozens of stolen Israeli vehicles, as well as suspected infiltrators who tried to enter Israeli territory without permits.

The army leadership also established a brigade headquarters with specific tasks in the Seam Zone. It comprises two battalions and aims to boost protection along the zone and prevent infiltrators from crossing.

“The construction at the barrier is a clear example of the development of our capabilities. The project was established with the goal of reducing the number of illegal infiltrations into Israel. By working on the barrier, we thwart terrorist attacks,” Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said in remarks provided by the military.

“Our mission is that there will be zero terrorist attacks, and we will continue to operate as needed to stop this wave of terror and complete the mission,” he said.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Army Chief Aviv Kohavi, and his deputy, Major General Herzi Halevi, have recently toured the area and were briefed on the progress in the construction work.

Kohavi cited the “wave of terrorism that hit Israel,” stressing that his forces responded with force and determination by launching the military operation Waves Breaker, in which all army units, including intelligence, information and communications technology, units and battalions of the Judea and Samaria Division and the Central Command, have taken part.

He affirmed that the operation aims to defend Israeli citizens and prevent terrorist acts.

Israel decided to build the barrier in June 2002, at the height of the second intifada, or uprising.

Eighty-five percent of the still-unfinished barrier is inside the West Bank, carving off nearly 10% of its territory.

The Palestinians view it as an illegal land grab and the International Court of Justice in 2004 said the barrier was “contrary to international law.”

The United Nations estimates that some 150 Palestinian communities have farmland inside the West Bank but west of the barrier. Some 11,000 Palestinians live in this so-called Seam Zone, requiring Israeli permits just to stay in their homes.

The UN also estimates that about 65% of the roughly 710-kilometer (450-mile) structure has been completed.



Shiny and Deadly, Unexploded Munitions a Threat to Gaza Children

Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
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Shiny and Deadly, Unexploded Munitions a Threat to Gaza Children

Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File

War has left Gaza littered with unexploded bombs that will take years to clear, with children drawn to metal casings maimed or even killed when they try to pick them up, a demining expert said.

Nicholas Orr, a former UK military deminer, told AFP after a mission to the war-battered Palestinian territory that "we're losing two people a day to UXO (unexploded ordnance) at the moment."

According to Orr, most of the casualties are children out of school desperate for something to do, searching through the rubble of bombed-out buildings sometimes for lack of better playthings.

"They're bored, they're running around, they find something curious, they play with it, and that's the end," he said.

Among the victims was 15-year-old Ahmed Azzam, who lost his leg to an explosive left in the rubble as he returned to his home in the southern city of Rafah after months of displacement.

"We were inspecting the remains of our home and there was a suspicious object in the rubble," Azzam told AFP.

"I didn't know it was explosive, but suddenly it detonated," he said, causing "severe wounds to both my legs, which led to the amputation of one of them."

He was one of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returning home during a truce that brought short-lived calm to Gaza after more than 15 months of war, before Israel resumed its bombardment and military operations last month.

For Azzam and other children, the return was marred by the dangers of leftover explosives.

'Attractive to kids'

Demining expert Orr, who was in Gaza for charity Handicap International, said that while no one is safe from the threat posed by unexploded munitions, children are especially vulnerable.

Some ordnance is like "gold to look at, so they're quite attractive to kids", he said.

"You pick that up and that detonates. That's you and your family gone, and the rest of your building."

Another common scenario involved people back from displacement, said Orr, giving an example of "a father of a family who's moved back to his home to reclaim his life, and finds that there's UXO in his garden".

"So he tries to help himself and help his family by moving the UXO, and there's an accident."

With fighting ongoing and humanitarian access limited, little data is available, but in January the UN Mine Action Service said that "between five and 10 percent" of weapons fired into Gaza failed to detonate.

It could take 14 years to make the coastal territory safe from unexploded bombs, the UN agency said.

Alexandra Saieh, head of advocacy for Save The Children, said unexploded ordnance is a common sight in the Gaza Strip, where her charity operates.

"When our teams go on field they see UXOs all the time. Gaza is littered with them," she said.

'Numbers game'

For children who lose limbs from blasts, "the situation is catastrophic", said Saieh, because "child amputees require specialized long-term care... that's just not available in Gaza".

In early March, just before the ceasefire collapsed, Israel blocked all aid from entering Gaza. That included prosthetics that could have helped avoid long-term mobility loss, Saieh said.

Unexploded ordnance comes in various forms, Orr said. In Gaza's north, where ground battles raged for months, there are things like "mortars, grenades, and a lot of bullets".

In Rafah, where air strikes were more intense than ground combat, "it's artillery projectiles, it's airdrop projectiles", which can often weigh dozens of kilograms, he added.

Orr said he was unable to obtain permission to conduct bomb disposal in Gaza, as Israeli aerial surveillance could have mistaken him for a militant attempting to repurpose unexploded ordnance into weapons.

He also said that while awareness-raising could help Gazans manage the threat, the message doesn't always travel fast enough.

"People see each other moving it and think, 'Oh, they've done it, I can get away with it,'" Orr said, warning that it was difficult for a layperson to know which bombs might still explode, insisting it was not worth the risk.

"You're just playing against the odds, it's a numbers game."