The West Bank Wall

What is the purpose of the West Bank Wall? Since Israel began its construction in 2002, it has sparked intense debate, being condemned as illegal by the International Court of Justice. Israel claims it is a security measure to protect Israeli citizens from terrorist attacks. Opponents point to the serious impact on the rights of Palestinians, depriving them of their land, mobility and access to health and educational services.

In The West Bank Wall, Dolphin explores the Palestinian experience of the Wall and places the debate in its international context. Dolphin's writing is informed by his work for the UN, where for three years he monitored and compiled reports on the Wall's impact on the humanitarian conditions in refugee camps, towns and villages. With an introduction by Graham Usher, who has worked as Palestine correspondent for major international publications including the Economist, Middle East International, al Ahram English Weekly, the Guardian and Le Monde Diplomatique, this book puts the purpose of the Wall to the test.

What are the real intentions behind the Israeli security argument? Is it a means of securing territory permanently through an illegal annexation of East Jerusalem? Ray Dolphin provides some answers, offering a unique critical account of the impact of the wall and how it affects plans for a Palestinian state and for future peace in the Middle East.

Ray Dolphin has worked with various UN agencies in emergency relief situations for more than 10 years. He is currently working in the West Bank reporting on humanitarian conditions in refugee camps, towns and villages and compiling an initial report on the impact of the West Bank wall on refugees.
Graham Usher is a journalist and author long based in the occupied territories. He has written for the Economist, al Ahram English Weekly, the Guardian ,the Observer and more . He is the author of Palestine in Crisis (Pluto Press, 1995) and Dispatches from Palestine (Pluto Press, 1999).