There are dozens of barriers around the world, made up of concrete walls or fences. They generally serve to stop immigration or to prevent the passage of potentially hostile people and illegal goods, such as drugs. Some walls, including the one between the United States and Mexico, are erected along the borders between the states; others are present in the territory of countries to separate specific communities, as in Northern Ireland; Still other walls have been built in disputed or illegally occupied territories, such as Kashmir and the West Bank. A wall also existed in Italy until a few years ago: the barrier in Via Anelli in Padua.
- 1The Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank
- 2The barrier on the border between the United States and Mexico
- 3A wall between India and Pakistan: the Line of Control in Kashmir
- 4The Peace Lines in Northern Ireland
- 5The wall in via Anelli in Padua
The Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank
The Israeli separation barrier divides the State of Israel from the West Bank (or West Bank), one of the Palestinian territories (the other is the Gaza Strip), which in turn is occupied by the Israeli army. The barrier was built starting in 2002, during the second Intifada, over a length of 730 kilometers. It is partly made up of a concrete wall, partly of a fence, and is equipped with sensors and technological systems to prevent crossings. It is not located along borders recognized by international law nor along the Green Line (the “border” between Israel and Jordan resulting from the 1948 war), but was built on a route established unilaterally by the Israeli authorities to include part of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The wall has caused much damage to Palestinians: for example, it has separated some communities from their fields and workplaces; it completely surrounded a city, Qalqilya; It had disastrous economic effects. Israel claims the barrier is necessary to stop militia attacks; Palestinians claim it is an abuse and call it the apartheid wall or the wall of shame. The UN has also highlighted the damage caused by its presence.
Nonetheless, the barrier in the West Bank is not the only wall erected by Israel. Since the 1990s, the Jewish state has surrounded the Gaza Strip with a barrier. Furthermore, in 2013 it erected a barrier along the 240 km border with Egypt, with the aim of blocking illegal immigration.
The barrier on the border between the United States and Mexico
The border between Mexico and the United States is the most crossed border in the world, particularly at the point that separates San Diego, California, from Tijuana. In part, the border coincides with the course of the Rio Bravo. The separation barrier, made up of metal sheets and fences of various kinds, extends only over part of the border.
Construction of the barrier began in 1993 with the aim of stopping illegal immigration of Mexicans and citizens of other Latin American countries, as well as to prevent drug trafficking. Construction continued during all subsequent presidential terms. Only Joe Biden has declared that he wants to suspend construction, but during his term he has nevertheless filled existing gaps in some places.
Donald Trump, on the contrary, has made the wall a flag of his electoral campaign since his first term, promising voters to complete it. In reality, from 2017 to 2021 he only extended the wall for a few hundred kilometers, less than other presidents have done. At the beginning of his second term he announced again that he wanted to complete the barrier and allocated huge funds for this purpose. It is not known, however, whether the project will be completed
A wall between India and Pakistan: the Line of Control in Kashmir
India and Pakistan are in conflict over the issue of Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed by both countries. The territory is today occupied partly by India and partly by Pakistan (not counting a sector controlled by China); the two areas are separated by the Line of Control, established in 1971 at the end of a war.
In 1990, the Indian government decided to build a barrier, completed in 2004, across 550 of the 740 kilometers of the Line. The barrier is made up of two parallel fences, between which there is a strip of mined territory. Pakistan considers the barrier illegal and has denounced its construction on several occasions, but the Indian authorities have no intention of removing it.
The Peace Lines in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland – belonging to the United Kingdom on a political level, but geographically part of the Island of Ireland – is a country inhabited by rival political-religious groups: nationalist Catholics, who consider themselves Irish and would like to be annexed to the Republic of Ireland, and “unionist” Protestants, supporters of remaining in the United Kingdom. In the past, the two communities have clashed several times. To prevent conflicts, barriers, known as Peace Lines, have been built in some places to separate Catholic neighborhoods from Protestant neighborhoods.
The first barriers were built after the clashes that affected the country in 1969. Today there are a total of 59 Peace Lines. Their length varies: from a few tens of meters to 5 kilometers; Overall, the Lines cover 34 kilometers. Most of the barriers are located in Belfast, but some have been erected in other locations. Thanks to the easing of the conflict, since the 2010s the Northern Irish authorities have repeatedly put forward the idea of removing the Lines, but they are currently still standing.
The wall of via Anelli in Padua
Even in Italy a wall existed for some years to separate citizens. In 2006, a steel barrier, approximately 80 meters long, was erected in Padua to prevent passage between Via Anelli and Via De Besi. In via Anelli there were some buildings made up of small apartments, built in the 1970s to accommodate off-site students, but which later became residences for migrants. The barrier was erected on the decision of Mayor Flavio Zanonato, belonging to the Center-Left, because drug dealers and prostitutes were present in the area, but it sparked many protests, including from citizens of Padua, because it was considered a symbol of racism and a useless tool for reducing crime.
In recent years the area of via Anelli has been redeveloped, the condominiums have been demolished and in 2020 the wall was also removed.
