The Normans conquered England in 1066 and built castles to protect themselves. Their sophisticated castles were a brilliant, functional response to threats from a hostile population. Castles were successful until the civil wars of the 17th century.1 Cromwell’s New Model Army made them obsolete. The ‘impregnable’ Newark defensive system ended after a seven-month battle and walled defences disappeared in Britain.
Walls are a statement of national insecurity, which routinely fail. The Israelis have nonetheless ‘invested’ about $6bn in smart walls. Smart walls are walls with gizmos providing an illusion of safety.2 Walls display weakness when a threatened country has run out of ideas. Building them is an example of a tragic lack of imagination.
“Constantly ratcheting up militarised responses is counter-intuitive in managing endemic civil unrest. Israel’s internal security worsened after their [1967] military triumph. Building a ‘security’ wall is symbolic of this basic loss of control. The wall demonstrates policy failure by Israel.”3
The binary thinking of multiple Israeli governments ignores continuous technological innovation in warfare. America turbocharged drone weaponry after military casualties became politically inconvenient. Drones4 are their weapon of choice as war can waged without an American body-count. The world is entering an era of Robotic warfare, powered by AI, making faith in walls quixotic. Depersonalised miniturised warfare empties smart walls of meaning. Israel’s large drone manufacturing industry is based around surveillance with modifications for attack. They understand 21st century warfare but surprisingly persist in ‘smart wall’ strategies.
Walls, smart or not, are vulnerable.5 They’re inadequate as defence against external threats. The Gaza authorities launch 100s of homemade rockets in scattergun attacks on Israel. On May 11th 20236 they ineffectively launched 500 primitive rockets. If the attack had focused on the wall, their success might have been greater scoring a PR victory.
Israel’s government has been captured by the military alongside ideologically driven right-wing politicians. Consequently, they’re incapable of meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians, believing it’s a sign of weakness. This cycle of violence is entrenched and institutionalised, increasing Israel’s insecurity.
Notes
1 Tower of London – Wikipedia and see the 1646 battle of Newark The Third Siege of Newark, 1646 (bcw-project.org)
2 The Israeli’s have spent about $6bn on their defensive walls. Cost of border fences, underground barrier, reaches NIS 6bn (ynetnews.com) The French were equally deluded in the 1930s and spent an equivalent amount for their Maginot Line. Maginot Line – Wikipedia
3 Israel’s Disastrous ‘Six Day War’ 1967 | Odeboyz’s Blog (oedeboyz.com) See also The Gaza Strip and Israel, 2014 | Odeboyz’s Blog (oedeboyz.com)
4 List of drone strikes in Afghanistan – Wikipedia This is incomplete but is dauntingly long nonetheless. Obama’s murderous attacks on Pakistan are even worse. Drone strikes in Pakistan – Wikipedia
5 The Israeli’s wall on the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon frontiers. The Golan Heights. Why is there a disputed border between Lebanon and Israel? | Border Disputes News | Al Jazeera
6 “Israel seized the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the 1,200-square-km (460-square-mile) territory in 1981, a move not recognised by most of the international community.” Israel hits Syria after rockets fired toward Golan Heights (cnbc.com) See also Israel-Gaza: Hundreds of rockets fired at Israel amid deadly IDF airstrikes in Gaza | CNN
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