Mending Walls and Separation Barriers

By: Gabrielle Doucet

The West Bank Barrier according to the BBC is, a part-wall, part-fence (BBC, 2005). The Barrier was built by Israel to prevent Palestinian suicide attempts because from 2001-2004, 488 Israelis were killed in suicide attacks (Flower & Khadder, 2011). Killing rates have decreased, which is good; however, there is a downside to this story. Because the walls construction is on Palestinian farming land, a nearby village is struggling, the village wasnt prosperous to begin with . . . now people are beginning to go hungry (Farnsworth, 2004). Another example of the barrier being a downside is the fact that the Amer familys lives have been disrupted. The Barrier cut the Amer family from their village and their son was separated from his friends. At first the family couldnt leave the house unless soldiers unlocked a gate. Their lives have become more difficult. This barrier may be saving lives on one side but it is drastically affecting lives on the other side. One would struggle to compare a contemporary, divisive barrier between two countries to a 1915 poem by Robert Frost entitled Mending Wall. However there are a number of parallels, Id ask to know what I was walling in or walling out (32, 33) asks the poem. It is true that Israel walled out the suicide bombers, but they did not consider the impact on lives of a simple Palestinian family who was separated from their village, including their sons soccer buddies. Continuing, And to whom I was like to give offence (34) points to Israel who chooses to remain separated by concrete as enemies rather than as brothers in Christ unified. The poem goes on with a line twice repeated, Something there is that doesnt love a wall (1, 35). The Israelis had good intent behind constructing the barrier, but Palestinian families have been negatively

impacted. In addition, it was a temporary fix as opposed to a Christ-like action that of building a communication bridge rather than a tension concrete barrier.