We traveled to the "narrow waist" of Israel today and stood along the "balcony of Israel", the spot where Ariel Sharon made the decision to build the "Security Fence" that has caused so much outcry in my own faith tradition as well as around the world. The fence itself is 800 kilometers long, 97% of which is chain link - actually it's barbed wire next to a ditch next to a road next to the chain link fence next to more barbed wire, so it's wide, but not high. Then 3% in the most "critical" areas is actually a wall and a very tall one at that.
We met with soldiers who showed us a portion of the Wall near Kalkilya and we viewed the fence as we drove along the way. The soldiers were quite young (but maybe everyone is when you get to be my age), but also very articulate and compassionate about their dual duty to the Israelis and the Palestinians they serve. Operations Officer Eran Hoch was the primary spokesperson and seemed to understand that it is in the best interests of the Israelis for the Palestines to also be secure with a strong economy, good schools and quality of life.
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