The wall grabs land. But unfortunately, this is only obvious to people living inside the occupied territories. I suggest the reason for this is a failure of respective public relations efforts. It started much too late and there are still many mistakes, i.e. the childish comparison with the Berlin Wall and the German-German border strip. This still does a lot of harm to all the efforts. The GDR fences/walls were built on territory of the GDR, and this is what everybody knows. Therefore, nobody outside Palestine understands why the Israeli wall grabs land.

This wall is nothing more than an attempt on the part of the Israelis to give themselves a sense of security, but in reality, it is counterproductive. It will only escalate the extremism and thwart plans for peace and harmony. My heart goes out to my Palestinian brothers and sisters whose lives have been disrupted by this incursion into their world. I pray also for the victims of violence on both sides of the wall. As Bishop Younan has said, "Violence is the tool of the incompetent."

The Israeli separation wall is more about resource-taking than security. If it were about security, it would be built along the Green Line -- making it twice as short, at half the cost, and easier to patrol. Instead, the path offers the Israelis land which gives really nice access to water supplies in the West Bank. But I also think the Israelis have every legal right to build a wall or fence ON THEIR OWN LAND -- even if it's not very neighborly.

The wall should never have been. The violence on both sides needs to stop. The world needs to recognize that the actions of Israel are and have been violence perpetrated upon the Palestinian victims, and that settlements, curfews, killings, home demolitions - all need to end in order for there to be peace. So, too, the violence perpetrated by Palestinian extremists must stop - it only serves to perpetuate the victimization.

The wall is THE MOST horrific thing. It MUSt be demolished, It is a land grab, It is illegal and it certainly is inciting more violence It is NOT making israel secure,but insecure. With this wallit makes it easier for Israel to get all the land and get rid of all the Palestinians like they really want.::The israelis have completely lost their moral compass::

Building this wall seems a desperate attempt by Israel to keep the future at bay -- a future in which there will have to be a resolution of the conflict between a hard-line group of Israelis and an equally resolute (pigheaded) group of Palestinians. Meanwhile, those who suffer most are the innocent on both sides. ::::This visible, tangible fence makes obvious the control Israel exerts over Palestinian life -- a control that has not allowed the security Israel craves. Isn't it time to try something different?

THE WALL MUST GO! IT CAN'T BE A SECURITY FENCE! ONE COULD ALWAYS "TERRORIZE" OVER IT. IT JUST ANTOGONIZES ANYONE ON THE OTHER SIDE. THE OCCUPATION MUST GO!

the wall is another excuse for israel to swallow more land and end the dream of a palestenian state

At the very least, the wall, if it must be there, should follow the green line that I've read about. It seems very unfair and unjust to have that wall set up where Palestinians can't get back and forth from their homes to their places of work without having to deal with Israeli soldiers.

The Palestinians should stop using violence against civilians so as not to give Sharon the pretext of erecting the wall. So far all the suicidal acts have played to the benefit of Israel pure and simple.::A strategy should be found to fight against this wall of Apartheid.

The wall stands in the way of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. It denies many Palestinians the right of access to their jobs, fields, olive groves, and extended families. It may give Israelis a false sense of security. Visually, it reminds me of the Berlin Wall. To call an 8 ft. high concrete wall guarded by security towers and razor wire a "security fence" is a gross understatement. There cannot be any hope of peace without justice.

Had the wall/fence been built on the Israeli side of the 1967 armistice boundary line one might have felt that it was for security purposes. Being built well into the Palestinian side, often making it a barrier to Palestinians trying to reach their farms, shops, schools, etc., its purpose must be harassment and land grab NOT SECURITY. While attending a talk by the Israeli Consul General here in Chicago, I asked whether, when the barrier is completely built, it was Israel's intention to eliminate all the check points within the areas surrounded by the barrier so that Palestinians could move freely within that area. Although he implied that that was Israel's intent in the long range, he equivicated about the near term. I believe that is issue that must be stressed - if the wall/fence is truly meant to be the "separation barrier" then why doesn't Israel fully agree to remove all the checkpoints within the area surrounded by the barrier.

Agree with today's postings, particularly that of a Bob May and Del Leppke. Do you know of the website of the Foundation for a Middle East Peace, www.fmep? It is top notch, authoritative and balanced, giving detailed reports and analyses of the occupation. One of its officers, G. Aronson, was here in the Chicago area this week. He would be an excellent speaker for other local groups in the U.S. His contacts in the West Bank and Gaza are amazing.::Galen L. Gockel, Oak Park, IL

The Israeli Wall is a land and water grab, just like the colonization (settlements) that have been built since 1967. The U.S. goverment says it's all wrong, but does nothing but send more subsidy. The process is decaying the soul of the modern State of Israel while denying the message of the biblical prophets.

If the wall which is 95 Percent a fence, will stop the extremist suicide bombers, which are condemmed by the palestinian leaders, it obviously is a psoitive move, because then the palestinian leaders would not need to condemn anymore act they condemn. ::::If these attacks on israeli civilians are part of the palestinan strategy then i do not understand, why Arafat and Kureia condemn these attacks, as on the bus in Jerusalem a day ago, which killed numerous pupils, minors on their way to school.

I hope that the Court finds that the barrier wall is illegal. I hope this whole process brings to light all of the international laws which Israel has been violating far too long. I hope that the U.N. and nations all over the world speak with one voice to condemn the apartheid tactics in which Israel engages.

As a pastor in the ELCA - Evangelical Lutheran Church of America - we have a social statement on both Israel and the Palestinian occupied lands. The wall being built is not one of protection but of division and isolation. It goes against our ELCA justice policies concerning both parties involved. It is a biblical matter of injustice counter to such directives as Micah 6:8. The wall has a serious socioeconomic impact upon those in the occupied territories and further inhibits Jewish - Christian - Islamic dialogues. Having visited and spoken at the Christmas Lutheran Church of Bethlehem [Feb. 1997] I have a personal concern for Dr. Pastor Raheb and his congregation and the people of Bethlehem. This wall brings added hardship to the citizens of Bethlehem, especially Christians residing in the traditional birth place of Jesus. This wall does not further peace on earth or good will to all.

israelis are the promised people and they are entited to whatever they see proper to keep them the strongest and most protected nation not only in the middle east but also in the whole world. Long live Israel ::

Walls are not good for friendship but it may serve the purspose of allowing for a "cool off" period to allow time and quietness to listen to God's guidance.

The wall is another tool that Israel is using to further fragment the Palestinians and their hopes for a home. ::The wall and the illegal settlements are a hindrance to peace. A wish shared and desired by most Palestinians and Israeli.::

The wall is intolerable and will prevent an ultimate peaceful and just solution.::::A Christian in Tallahassee FL,::Kent Spriggs

I've personally seen the "security fence." And I've stood with men, women and children in protest against the bulldozers that were tearing out their ancestral olive trees to expand the fence. "Fence" is a misnomer of the most understated kind. I saw sobbing old men and women prostrate on the ruts and upheavel of their once productive and beautifully kept groves. They could not be comforted.::::The wall does not keep out those who intend harm to the Israelis; but it does effectively keep Palestinian men and women from their fields, jobs, and families, and children from their education and religious rights. ::::The wall is a massive wound that cuts deeply into the heart of the Palestinian people. Those of us who have seen it are aghast that in this the 21st century such things are still being done in the name of justice and freedom; and except for a few Internationals who place their lives on the line, the world sits idly by waiting to see what Sharon's next move will be. ::::To those of you my friends in the nation of Israel and the occupied territories of Palestine, I say: You are in my heart, in my prayers, and in my work for a just and free Palestine and a just and free Israel. To that end I commit my time and my efforts in the future.::::Your Friend, Sister Rachel Mueller, member of the Deaconess Community of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

It seems, you Ulrich Sahm, have got your statistics somewhat mixed up. The wall is definitely NOT 95% fence; and even if it were, it is still enclaving a whole population of 3.5 million in a large open-air prison--a population that is striving for a little bit of freedom on its own land occupied by Israel. ::As for the suicide attack on Sunday, notwhithstanding the fact that it is not 100% justifiable, I wonder what response you have with regard to the tens of Palestinian civilians--many of them "minors on their way to school" too--killed on a weekly basis by the brutal bloodthirsty Israeli soldiers who are in a land that does not belong to them in the first place?::Plus, before making any argument, get your information straight because following is a list of those killed in the attack as compiled by the Jerusalem Post on 23/02/2004 NOTICE THAT THE MAJORITY ARE NOT "PUPILS AS YOU CLAIM, Mr. journalist:::"The victims of the attack were identified as Lior Azulai, 18, a senior at Jerusalem's Gymnasia Rehavia high school; St.-Sgt. Natanel Havshush, 20; Benayahu Jonathan Zuckerman, 18, a senior at Jerusalem's Experimental High School; Yuval Ozana, 32, of Jerusalem; Ilan Avisidris, 41; Yafe Ben-Shimon; and Yehuda Haim, 47, of Jerusalem [...] The eighth victim of the attack was identified Monday as Rahamiam Rami Duga, 38, from Mevasseret Zion."::

There is an issue here for the media, including international media. It is still the case that our reporting of the conflict is dominated by incidents of violence. We very seldom illuminate any issues of structural violence, or show how the experiences of everyday life may be incubating violence. In that sense the most salient fact is the occupation. The way a problem is diagnosed, in news reporting, influences what can be presented, by media-savvy governments, as an appropriate remedy. Diagnose the problem as 'wicked suicide bombers' and a wall, which happens to extend and exacerbate the occupation, can be seen as a 'solution'. Report the structural violence as the problem, and the solution, if it is to be seen as such, must be based on removing that. In other words, we, the media, have contributed to the wall with persistent War Journalism. What is needed is more Peace Journalism. ::Jake Lynch, co-director, Reporting the World - a journalism think-tank, www.reportingtheworld.org.uk

The Wall must go and so must the Israeli presence until the illegal occupiers are behind the 1967 borders.

i belive israel purely wants to steal palestinian land and expand their aim for greater israel. it is a shame that the internationl community just ignores this matter and allows it to happen. i dont think no-one will be able to stop israel from building this wall because they have powerful partners working in the u.s goverment to support them in making this crime against humanity come true.

just like to add that most of present day israeli's are from european decent, whom their ancestors happen to convert to the jewish religion. european jews have no right to steal land to live in israel . therefore, palestinians should not be forced to leave or become refugees in their own native land. we must remember palestinians are semetic people and european jews aren't, so isreal must be returned to the semetic people of all the three faith and then if the semetic people want to allow other nationalities to live in their country then it is up to them to make the choice.

I am horrified and am reminded of the wall that surrounded and created the Warsaw ghetto.

This wall is a totally illegal act of occupation by the Israel Gouvernment.::On this way Israel can not make more security for their citizens.

THE WALL... Represents a business partnership between the Isreali and Palestian governments. It basically allows the Isrealis to bluff there way to grabbing more land, and it allows the Palestinian government to claim foul play thereby apealling to the international community for financial assistance and also more hatred to Isreal. The problem in that region can be taken care of in five minutes if the so called friends of Palestine would just go in and eradicate all of these so called Martyrs (hamas, etc..) so it can stop Isreal from continuing to blame their occupation on terrorism.