Reading Response 14

The first article I read in relation to the separation barrier was about how the UNHRC may find Jerusalem culpable for building over the lines from pre 1967 before the existence of the International Criminal Court.  The ruling on this depends on whether the Palestinians join the Rome Statute.  This is one of many other issues that will be covered, all on the same day as well.  Other issues include other offenses regarding the pre 1967 lines, such as two reports and six resolutions regarding the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.  The council will also be discussing the increase in Violence in the area between Hamas and Israel, however, the reports will not cover the spreading violence in Syria and the threat that that poses. Israel will be the main focus of the discussions, as Israel has the most discrepancies filed against it, however other countries will also be discussed to a lesser extent. One of the most interesting aspects of this article to me though was reading that private companies involved in the area currently could later face legal trouble for breaking International Law.  The Israelis claim that these resolutions are extremely unfair but will pass anyways.  They would prefer one-on-one interaction with the Palestinians, but the Palestinians want nothing to do with Israel.  Once again, this has become another sticky situations for the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis, as well as international law as a whole.

http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/UNHRC-set-to-debate-West-Bank-settlement-report-306788

The next article I came across, I found using EBSCO through the IU Libraries Website Page.  In this academic journal, I read about the separation barrier from a more theory based perspective.  The academic journal, from 2012, talks about the construction of the barrier, and the historical idea of separation that is so prevalent in Israeli history/culture.  In the article, the author states that "the search for a boundary and security is questioned as a possible psychological and social bonding component of Israel".  What I took away from this statement is that the idea behind constructing this barrier is something that brings Israelis together, and unifies them.  This separation barrier could finally be some form of security "blanket" for the Israelis.  A point the author brings up however, that while the separation barrier could potentially lead to some kind of agreement between Palestine and Israel, it does nothing to help the general trouble in the Middle East. What is meant by that is the conflicts occurring in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria primarily, but also within other surrounding states.

http://ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=79829958&site=ehost-live&scope=site