CAIRO: It seems Israel likes their walls. Just ask the Palestinians, who have been forced to traverse around the grayish edifice that splits much of their land in the West. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to build another wall, this time to run the length of the border with Egypt in Sinai. The move comes as Egyptian security forces shot another African migrant who was attempting to meander his way across the desert border with the Jewish state, seeking what Africans in Egypt routinely say is “a better life” than the one they have in the North African nation. According to initial press reports, Netanyahu believes building a wall along the southern borders with Egypt is “unavoidable and strategic.” He said his country must take to ensure that thousands of migrants do not cross over from Africa, Israel's Maariv daily reported Tuesday. According to Maariv, the PM sees the migration of Africans as a problem that may escalate in the coming years and disrupt the demographic balance of southern Israel. Since May this year, at least 17 Africans have been killed by Egyptian police as Cairo continues to push on its efforts to strengthen its border defenses as Israel complains Egypt is not doing enough. The paper reported that from Netanyahu's point of view migration from Africa has already changed the faces of the two cities of Arad and Eilat in southern Israel. Maariv added that Netanyahu has held several meetings with Israel's top officials to discuss plans for the new separation wall. Palestinians call the wall in the West Bank the “Apartheid Wall” and the new structure is likely to receive scorn from the Arab world. “What do they expect? They talk of peace and yet they are continuing to blockade the entire region to be against them,” said Omar Hashem, a Lebanese political analyst. During the alleged meetings, it was decided that the barrier would either be a costly wall, a cheaper electronic fence or some kind of integration of both. The Israeli military has proposed that barrier be in the form of the separation fence with an estimated cost of up to 5 billion shekels (approximately 1.5 billion dollars). The Israeli Minister of Finance, Yuval Steinitz believes, however, that it would be much simpler to build a fence, at a cost of about 450 million shekels (approximately 120 million dollars). The Ministry of Public Security has also suggested an alternative that integrates the two. For now, Egyptians and Arabs are waiting official word, but Hashem believes the wall will affect already strained relations adversely in the near future. “If they want people to learn to like Israel, they should stop treating people as if they are cattle and respect human rights and try to help deal with the problems that we all face in the region instead of putting up big walls to keep people away,” he added. BM
