Was just reading in the news that Saudi Arabia is planning to build a fence (/security barrier/wall) all along its 900 kilometer (560 miles) border with Iraq in a bid to keep terrorists out. The Middle East Economic Digest, a regional news magazine, reported this month that it would contain a double-lined fence with 135 electronically controlled gates, fence-mounted ultraviolet intruder detection sensors, buried radio detection sensors and concertina razor wire along the entire, mostly desert frontier. Saudi Arabia’s already got a fence between them and Yemen –which aims to prevent infiltration and smuggling–but the land it is placed on is disputed (Yemen claims the land it is built on and a good bit of land beyond is theirs). The United Arab Emirates (see link to article above) is already building its fence/security barrier/wall along its border with Oman. They aren’t worried about terrorists and suicide bombers –they just want to keep out the illigal immigrants. Egypt has a cement wall (fence/separation barrier) between it and Gaza only it keeps getting big holes blown in it and bulldozers plowed through it.
India was a trend-setter in this regard because in 1989, the Indian government, frustrated at the continued infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan, constructed a security barrier along the frontier in the states of Punjab and Rajasthan. The barrier worked and infiltration subsided. Five years later, India sought to extend the barrier 620 miles through Jammu and Kashmir. More than 80 percent of the barrier’s planned route was on disputed land. Turkey annexed some land from Syria way back in 1939 and a couple of years ago (1990s) they responded to Syria’s supporting terrorists trying to win back the land by constructing a high fence along the length of the border and laying over 500 miles of minefields.
Some of our other neighbors already have or are getting security barriers/fences/walls and you can read about some of them here. You can also find out more about security barriers/fences/walls in India and Turkey at the link just above.
Fences and walls have been used for thousands of years for protection. When I was in Luxembourg a few years ago and was learning about the country’s history, one historical fact was quite interesting. Neighbors negotiated with Luxembourg to take down their defensive walls and then attacked them as soon as it was done. As Frost wrote: Good fences make good neighbors. I support any nation that wants to use fences: a great defensive option.
Um, didn’t anyone hear of tunnels? As anyone following Israeli news since at least the summer knows, tunneling under walls is a great way to get into another country!
1. Second Lynne. Wall Street was named after……….a wall, used to separate New Amsterdam from the Natives.
2. You forgot the new big fence issue - between the US and Mexico.
3. It is called a “Border”, lots of them all over the world, and they are not all friendly and open.
The reason Israel’s “fence” was declared illegal is not because there’s anything wrong with fences. It’s because it’s being built on somebody else’s land.
The poet who said “Good fences make good neighbors” would be shocked to compare the path of the Separation Wall with Israel’s 1967 boundary.
I bet the U.S./Mexico fence won’t be so cavalier about the little matter of land ownership.
if you don’t like fences, you should leave your door opened at night, or remove it altogether.