The Writing on the Wall: Israel, the Security Barrier and the Future of Zionism

Abstract

Most analyses and commentary surrounding the construction of Israel's security barrier or fence have focused on the adverse impact this has had on bilateral relations with the Palestinian Authority, its institutions and people. For most Israelis, such concerns voiced by the Palestinians themselves as well as the wider international community denies agency to their physical security in the face of an Islamist nemesis that apparently brooks no compromise. But while the perceived role of the barrier in reducing terrorist attacks inside Israel has enjoyed widespread approbation among Israelis, less attention has been devoted to the impact that the barrier has had upon competing ideas and identities over the very nature of Zionism itself. As such, this paper argues that the true impact of the barrier is as much about ensuring the coherence of Israel's ideological boundaries as it is about enhancing the physical protection of the state.

Performing colonial sovereignty and the Israeli ‘separation’ wall

“…6 Kimmerling (2006), for example, claims that the wall 'smashes to smithereens the ideology of the Greater Land of Israel … and knocks the ideological and political infrastructure out from under the feet of Jewish fundamentalism'. Similarly, Jones (2009) maintains that the separation wall forges new physical and intellectual limits of Zionism, and is an instance of settlers coming to accept, however reluctantly, a new contract with the state. Indeed, the ideological settler constituency was initially opposed to the wall as it was seen as undermining Jewish claims to the entire historic Land of Israel.…”

This wall speaks: graffiti and the location of transnational space Palestine

“…The Israeli government began construction on the Wall in 2002 as a response to the second Palestinian Intifada, arguing that it was necessary to protect against Palestinian attacks on civilians. The Israeli government, keen on maintaining its narrative of victimhood in a hostile region, sees the wall as necessary to its survival and thus call it a "security fence" or "security barrier" (Shlomo & Fenster 2011, Jones 2009, Baskin 2002. This moniker reinforces the Israeli narrative by highlighting the supposed role it plays in the securitization and protection of Israelis, and also deemphasizes the devastating permanent impact it has on Palestinians.…”

“…Those concerned with the effects of the wall on the other side, by contrast, focus on the Wall's tragic impact on many aspects of Palestinian life, including separating Palestinians from their agricultural lands, from their families, and from their schools and work (Alatout 2009, Jones 2009, Hanauer 2011, Eidelmann 2011. The choice of many to refer to the Wall as the "separation barrier" draws attention to and privileges the many narratives of separation over the other functions of the Wall (Hanauer 2011, Eidelmann 2011, Pallister-Wilkins 2011, Khalidi 2005, Said 2003.…”

Barriers to Entry: Who Builds Fortified Boundaries and Why?

“…These sections are concentrated in urban areas and are designed to block sniper ªre. 46 The barrier is protected by observation posts at regular intervals. Its gates are controlled by Israeli soldiers, while the entire length of the barrier is patrolled by soldiers and border police.…”