Palestine · A closer look
2000
The second intifada, and the wall
Sparked in September 2000 after Ariel Sharon's visit to the al-Aqsa compound, the second uprising was far bloodier than the first: around 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis were killed. In 2002 Israel began building a barrier through the West Bank. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that where it runs inside occupied territory it is contrary to international law.
From uprising to a physical barrier
The second intifada unfolded amid the failure to reach a final settlement after Oslo. It involved Palestinian armed attacks, including suicide bombings against civilians, and extensive Israeli military operations. Israel began constructing the barrier in 2002, presenting it as a security measure. Its effects extended beyond the immediate fighting because its route, gates and associated restrictions altered how Palestinians could move through the West Bank.
What the court considered
In July 2004, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on the wall in the occupied Palestinian territory. It found the construction there and its associated regime contrary to international law, and called for the relevant sections to be dismantled and damage remedied. The opinion addressed the occupied territory, including East Jerusalem. It should not be reduced to a ruling against every possible barrier along an internationally recognised boundary.
Source: International Court of Justice: Advisory opinion of 9 July 2004
The geography of daily life
For communities separated from their farmland, the barrier made access depend on permits and opening times at designated gates. OCHA documented consequences for agricultural work and livelihoods, including the ability to tend land regularly. A road or field can be physically close but difficult to reach. This helps explain why the barrier's impact cannot be measured only by its length: the location of crossings and the rules governing them matter as well.
Source: UN OCHA: The barrier’s impact on agricultural productivity