​More than 1,100 people have been murdered in attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists since September 2000. Thousands more Israelis have been injured, many maimed for life. The terrorists infiltrated Israeli cities and towns and carried out attacks - often in the form of suicide bombings - on buses, in restaurants, shopping malls, and even private homes. No other democracy in the world had before this time faced such an intense wave of terror, especially in the form of suicide bombings.


 
In almost all of the cases, the terrorists came from Palestinian areas in the West Bank. The absence of a barrier there had make infiltration into Israel communities a relatively easy task for terrorists. Often, Israeli communities are located only a short walking distance from Palestinian centers of terrorism. The Palestinian leadership was doing nothing to stop them and has even encouraged them.
 
Israel's decision to erect a physical barrier against terrorism was taken only after other options were tried, but failed to halt the deadly attacks. Public opinion in Israel pushed for building a fence that would block the terrorists from entering Israeli population centers. It should be noted that for many years, no terrorists infiltrated into Israel from the Gaza Strip, because an electronic anti-terrorist fence already existed there.
 
The Government of Israel has an obligation to defend its citizens against terrorism. This right of self-defense is anchored in international law. The anti-terrorist fence is an act of self-defense that saves lives. Until the Palestinians act to stop terrorism, Israel must take the necessary actions to protect itself.

​Despite the many pictures being shown in the international media of a tall concrete wall, more than 92% of the currently built anti-terrorist fence consists of a chain-link fence system. 

​The route of the fence has been determined on the basis of security needs and topographical considerations.

 
 
The anti-terrorist fence will not annex Palestinian lands nor change the legal status of Palestinians residents. The anti-terrorist fence is a temporary, defensive measure - not a border: the border is to be determined by direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians
 
The fence is being built in such a way that, if necessary, the relevant parts can be moved to different locations. In this context, it will be remembered that when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon, in fulfillment of UN Security Council Resolution 425, the UN delineated the border between Israel and Lebanon. Israel moved its anti-terrorist fence, sometimes only a meter or less, to comply with the new border. Similarly, Israel's experience with Egypt and Jordan has shown that fences have never blocked political agreements and peace treaties; where necessary, the fences were moved.

​The Palestinian attempt to draw a parallel between Israel's anti-terrorist fence and the Berlin Wall that was built by the Communist East German regime is nothing more than cheap propaganda that plays fast and loose with historical facts.
 
The Berlin Wall was designed by the Communist regime of East Germany to solidify and perpetuate the division of the city by keeping the citizens of East Germany - who sought only freedom and contacts with their brethren in West Germany - locked in. The Berlin Wall was built during the height of the Cold War by a totalitarian regime in its struggle against the democracy that thrived in the western sections of the city and in the Federal Republic of Germany.
 
In stark contrast, Israel is building the anti-terrorist fence for only one purpose - to keep Palestinian terrorists, who wish to murder and maim Israeli citizens, out. Israel, a democratic society, is building the fence to protect its citizens from deadly attack, not from peaceful contacts with the other side. It is Palestinian terrorism - backed by an authoritarian regime and supported by the most dangerous terrorist organizations and terrorist-sponsoring states in the Middle East - that is the threat and the instigator of conflict. Terrorism has forced Israel to take the defensive step of building an anti-terrorist fence.