Rights Groups: Why Doesn’t Gaza Fence Have Fence To Prevent Palestinians From Approaching, Getting Shot?

Some human rights advocates believe a single additional fence does not go far enough.

Sderot, July 18 – Critics of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians censured the IDF today for neglecting to take precautions that they assert would save Palestinian lives when Israel enforces its sovereignty by protecting its border, arguing that instead of simply shooting people who attempt to cross the existing border fence, Israel must construct an additional fence in front of that one to keep those would-be infiltrators from reaching the original fence and getting fired upon.

Representatives of both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued condemnation Wednesday of what they regard as “Israel’s continuing disregard for Palestinian lives,” in particular the lives of Palestinian protesters who try to scale the fence separating Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Palestinians have suffered injury or death in recent months amid a wave of often-violent demonstrations aimed at penetrating the barrier, a threat to which Israeli forces have responded by warning those near the fence not to attempt to scale, breach, or dig under the fence lest they be shot. The rights groups insist that such a policy violates the human rights of the Palestinians, who must make do with only one layer of warning not to engage in dangerous illegal activity. Instead of only one fence, they stated, Israel must build a second fence to protect Palestinians from reaching the fence at which they will face gunfire.

“By not implementing this solution Israel again demonstrates its callous disregard for Palestinians,” declared Ken Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “We call upon the international community to force Israel to take the steps necessary to protect those whom its actions affect in the most direct way, in this case with the entirely reasonable measure of an additional fence guarding the fence.”

Amnesty International posted a video clip on Twitter of a Palestinian youth getting shot after ignoring Israeli warnings and shaking off a friend who tried to keep him from climbing the border fence. “This clip shows the necessity of an additional barrier to protect protesters from the consequences of their decisions,” read the tweet.

Some human rights advocates believe a single additional fence does not go far enough. “What if the protesters, in their despair, scale the second fence?” wondered UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness. “Then we’re right back where we started. Better to construct a third, possibly a fourth, fence. Just to be sure, perhaps it should be a twenty-meter-high wall that cannot be scaled without specialized equipment. Then our frequent use of the term ‘open-air-prison’ will take on a hint of accuracy.”

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