THE WEST BANK WALL Unmaking Palestine Ray Dolphin. Introduction by Graham Usher   ISBN: 0745324339 Paperback Price: £14.99 / $22.95 / € 22.50    ISBN: 0745324347 Hardback Price: £45.00 / $75.00 / € 75.00    Publication Date: March 2006   Pages: 256pp Illustration: 10 photographs Size: "B" FORMAT (198x129mm)

Description

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.

Author Details

Ray Dolphin has worked with various humanitarian agencies in the Middle East and the Balkans for 15 years. Most recently he compiled reports on the impact of the West Bank wall for UNRWA, the UN Agency for Palestinian 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).