Since I've been in Israel the past four months (I still can't believe I can say that) I have experienced and been exposed to the Israeli culture, the food, the people, and the values that encompass them all. However, living in Eretz Israel has awaken me not only to Israeli situations, beliefs, and events but the way Palestinians are affected in their daily life as well. The ongoing tensions between the two groups are extremely prevalent in every day life, especially the existence of the separation barrier that surrounds the West Bank. This wall was created as a reaction to the first and second intifadas of suicide bombers that threatened the lives of Israeli and Palestinian citizens. Although the safety of Israel is exemplified with this wall, the suicide bombings have ceased for the most part, and I personally think that the wall does not serve as an efficient long term solution. It worked for the situation at hand during the years of the intifadas, but now that the problem has been stopped, is it necessary to still keep the wall up? I think that in order to accomplish peace between the two sides, which everyone hopes for even if they don't admit it, keeping the wall up and limiting the rights of Palestinians is not a step forward in peaceful relations. Keeping restraints on the Arabs living in the West Bank, through permits, unequal rights, and limited boundaries, only results in pent-up anger from the Palestinians towards Israel and the people. To me, this wall serves as a metaphorical and literal separation between Jews and Palestinians, and until there is a change in the situation at hand, progress and change will not occur.
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