Rolls Of Barbed Wire And A Wall example essay topic

Abu Adil sat on a grey plastic chair; his traditional Arab headdress contrasting sharply with his crisply ironed shirt and grey trousers. In Palestinian society the headdress symbolizes age and wisdom, a remnant of an older order, which is still evident but in a process of retreat. The unique topaz and white facade of his house stood out from the uniform earthen hues of the other houses in his street. "This was the land of my ancestors", he told us, "the land my forefathers had cultivated".

There was a tone of resignation in his voice as he explained how Only 100 square metres remained of the 5000 square metres he had inherited from his father. He pointed to the distance, where an Israeli flag flapped in the afternoon breeze "this is my land", he confirmed. A military jeep stood ominously, surveying us from behind what is to become the "security wall". Here, as in most places in the West Bank, there is no respite from the material reality of the occupation.

The loud rumbling of the excavators and diggers, he told us, started at F ajar time continued through the day and late into the night. Asked whether the Israelis had offered him compensation for the confiscation of his land he hesitated and with a resilience that typifies and defines the Palestinian character he replied that he saw little point in negotiating with the Israeli authorities, they had asked him to negotiate but he refused, he would have to make the best of what remained, perhaps growing vegetables to sustain his family. It is hard to imagine the impact of the wall, both physically and psychologically. On a daily basis Abu adil is forced to confront the injustice and horror of the occupation, as he walks out of his front door, only a hundred or so metres away, he witnesses the perverse logic of the Israeli state. The wall, when finished, will rise to over 18 feet made of cement blocks and mounted with razor wire it will, if completed stand as a testimony to the apartheid policies of the Israeli state. The wall, with its barbed wire and surveillance turrets bears a striking and ironic resemblance to the perimeter wall of a concentration camp.

On either side of the wall rolls of barbed wire have also been laid along the dusty ground, a constant reminder that whichever side of the wall you are on the Israelis are in control. As we approached the wall, an Israeli soldier beckoned one of us over, "wa had" he shouted meaning one in Arabic. Later we were told that the soldier had claimed that we were too near the wall and that we would have to move back even though we were on the Palestinian side of the wall and were separated from him by rolls of barbed wire and a wall that was in the process of being completed. The Israeli soldiers comments were revealing, In effect the Israeli military reserve the right to determine the rules no matter what side of the wall you are on.

This is the perverse logic of the "wall". The Israeli authorities claim that it will act to separate and divide and possibly restrict the movement of freedom fighters into Israel however in reality it is nothing more than a refinement of existing techniques of control and humiliation, a Bent hamite panoptic an, allowing a carte blanche to Israeli military machine while simultaneously preventing any freedom of movement by the Palestinians even within the occupied territory. An Apache helicopter appeared and hovered overhead, scanning and monitoring the situation. Israelis do not appreciate foreigners, particularly when those foreigners are able to observe their acts or intervene in any way, for most of them it is difficult to comprehend why anyone would even want to come to the West Bank. That does seem strange when you think about the Jewish settlements dotted around the area, particularly when it is those very soldiers who escort settlers on roads made exclusively for them and not for the use of the local population. In the distance we could see the pink-slated roofs of an Israeli settlement, which was once in the West Bank but now had conveniently "moved" into Israeli.

Zaid, Our guide, told us that the village we could see in the distance had been within the West Bank boundary but had now been annexed to Israel. "In that village I have relatives" he explained "but they are now in Israel and the wall prevents them from entering the West Bank". The wall meanders menacingly as far as the eye can see, there is activity everywhere as the Israelis move swiftly to consolidate this illegal monstrosity, land has been confiscated, relatives and friends forcefully separated, livelihoods destroyed and yet the Israelis continue to talk about "obstacles to peace". As we entered the University van to leave Jala meh, I looked at Abu Adil as he was sitting on his grey plastic chair, it was angled towards the wall, his mood appeared to be pensive, I wonder whether he agreed with the Israelis when they speak about "obstacles to peace.".