The “erosion” of the wall, the senior officials say, started with the Palestinians, who sought to reach plots of their land that were left on the “Israeli” side, or to work inside Israel. But gradually, Israel’s defense system also discovered the advantages of this so-called erosion. The Israeli army realized that the chances of a Palestinian working in Israel engaging in “terrorist” activity is close to zero. According to one of the officials, Israel’s Shin Bet security agency also began easing the criteria for permits.
The Israeli economy conveniently benefits from this movement, too. Palestinian laborers cost less than Israeli ones, and unlike migrant workers, their earnings are not sent abroad.
The illusion of separation
In the first years after the separation barrier was constructed, with many petitions objecting to its route, it was important for Israel’s defense system to prove to the High Court that the barrier was essential. But after the High Court’s pressure subsided, and when security officials realized that Palestinians who travel to work inside Israel are not a real security threat, it contributed to the barrier’s “erosion,” since its maintenance requires a lot of workers, resources, and funding that the defense system preferred to allocate to other things.
Source: The separation barrier is an illusion — and Israel knows it





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