The Wall and its history (timeline)
1947 The United Nations stakes out the border ("the green line") between Palestine and Israel.
1967 After the Six Days War, Israeli officials begin thinking of building a wall that follows the markings of "the green line". The project, also warmly received by Yitzhak Rabin, fails to concretize. Years afterward, the idea is taken up again by various governments, yet work is never initiated.
28 Sept. 2000 - Ariel Sharon visits the "Leveling of Mosques" in Jerusalem. The second "intifada" begins.
Apr. 2002 The increase in terrorist activities by Palestinian suicide bombers sparks Israeli officials to renew its Wall proposal. Work commences for a veritable "defensive barrier" to counteract further terrorist infiltrations.
Oct. 2003 The security zone reaches 180 km in length. The are various types of construction: reinforced concrete and barbed wire fence; valleys and landfills with electronic security protection systems. Along its route, the wall cuts right down the middle of many Palestinian towns. Some find themselves completely isolated from the surrounding territory.
14 0ct. 2003 Some Arab nations ask the U.N. Security Council to declare the barrier between Israel and Palestine illegal. The U.S. representative to the Council vetoes the proposal, as the resolution lacks a specific condemnation of terrorist acts against Israel.
21 0ct. 2003 The European Union presents a new resolution the U.N. General Assembly in which it affirms that construction of the wall violates international law. At the same time, Palestinians are asked to put an end to terrorist activity. Israel and Palestinian authorities are invited to respect the "Road Map to Peace" solution and to concentrate efforts for the constitution a Palestinian state by 2005. Votes: 144 in favor, 4 against (Israel, USA, Marshall Islands, Micronesia), 12 abstentions.
8 Nov. 2003 The U.N.'s Office for the Coordinating of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) releases data relevant to the Wall's impact on Palestinians. According to the United Nations, the Wall follows only 11% of the green line's path, repossesses 14% of the West Bank and will cause suffering to some 680,000 Palestinians.
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