browngeek

The SF Jewish Film Festival is in town this week. I caught the Sundance award-winning documentary “Wall“. Powerful film! Its about the 500km barrier (”separation line”) built by Israel to separate Israelis and the Palestinians. The first obstacle is barbed wire followed by a huge ditch in the ground - to prevent automobiles from crossing. Then there is the huge wall of concrete blocks. If somebody manages to get this far, there is a dirt road to cross- footprints marked. Then a concrete road for the Israeli soldiers to drive their humvees into the intruder!

Israel’s defense minister defends (pun intended) the wall was built to prevent would-be suicide and car bombers from entering Israel. When asked why the wall was built inside the Palestinian territory (based on the Green Line) he responds “Well…we consider both sides to be ours. We are the rulers.” How ridiculous! As one Israeli puts in the film “If the wall was the solution to the conflict, we could have put it up 50 years back!”. Another says “All Israelis are in consensus on the wall…they have all lost their minds!”

“Wall” sticks to its intent- the wall - and does not go down the tempting path of exploring the broader conflict in the Middle East. It does not provide a solution to the conflict either…but does prove that the wall is definitely not a solution. If anything its a problem. History has shown that such dividing walls have always been demoralizing and detrimental and this one is no different. And like the other walls, its time to - in Reagan’s words - “Tear down this Wall!”.