NEWS: The European Union's Separation Wall

It's hard to say who is more opposed to Israel's separation barrier. The Palestinians, United Nations (UN), and the European Union (EU) have all had their say on the matter. Now the EU has invited Israeli companies who specialize in wall construction to place bids for a wall to be built in Poland and Hungary to keep the rif-raff from migrating into the newly added EU states. It seems that the idea of separation barriers is a popular idea after all.



Israel's separation barrier is one of the most sensitive buttons in the world right now. Should Israel be allowed to build a barrier to keep out suicide bombers? Of course the main contention seems to be that the wall does not take the path of the 1967 UN Green Line. Still this isn't a problem for other countries. Syria controls Lebanon while the rest of the world looks the other way. Just this week Syria held talks with Lebanon to decide who their next president would be.

There are other amusing aspects of the whole issue. It seems that the Palestinians, or at least some of their leaders, made a nice profit by supplying cement to the Israelis and helping them build the wall that they can't stand. Apparently Arafat knew of this and said nothing as long as his pockets were lined with some of the profits. The issue of Palestinian suffering could be the main reason that the world has spoken out against the wall, but the UN, EU, and US lack of action in the Sudan crisis shows that no one cares when there isn't a profit to be made.

Even if separation barriers are highly contested, they seem to be highly effective. It has become very difficult for Hamas to strike at Israel in areas where the wall is complete. So now the EU wants a wall of it's own, and they will only build it on "official" borders that were hammered out in wars years ago, and not in recent conflict. Of course Hungary's borders were changed several times in the 1900's, but that's another story.



[edit on 17-8-2004 by dbates]

Well this is sad and just goes to show that proclamation of democratic and humanitarian ideals rings hollow too often

True, I'm sure there are grave reasons to be concerned about illegal border crossings... But having an actual wall across Europe is atrocious.

Will it be the same people who cherished the demolition of the Berlin wall, who will built something of the same on a grander scale?

I googled the subject and yes there are plans that are in development.

Yes - After European representatives launched a campaign against Israel's separation fence, and voted against Israel at the UN General Assembly, the EU is planning a separation fence of its own - to separate its new members - Poland and Hungary - from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to prevent the free movement of migrants seeking to enter the EU.

The estimated potential business to build hundreds of kilometers of fences along the EU's new eastern border will be several hundred million dollars. (Each kilometer of Israel's separation fence costs $1 million to build. Bases, sophisticated transit points, and observation and command and control systems cost $2 million per kilometer.)

Globes.co.il reported last week, Israeli companies that specialize in the construction of warning fences and security systems will participate in tenders.

Magal Security Systems (the main contractor for most of the 140-km separation fence around Samaria) is expected to sign a cooperation agreement with a major Western company for building fence and command and control systems in Eastern Europe. El-Far Electronics also plans to participate in the tender through a large international partner.


Rebekka

I applude the actions of the EU. If only our own U.S. government would treat this same situations in like manner.

First of all I see nothing wrong in this wall but for sure we have some double moral here.

Though - did the EU say they are against the wall or the route and way it is build right now? As far as I remember the European countries were upset that palestinian land had been taken away and whole cities had been divided for nothing.

The sense of the wall itself wasn't criticised.