In almost all of the cases of terrorist attacks inside Israel, the terrorists infiltrated from Palestinian areas in the West Bank. The Palestinian leadership has done nothing to stop them and has even encouraged them. Between Israel and Palestinian Authority areas there is no border or natural obstacles, and the distance dividing terrorists coming from Palestinian cities and Israeli population centers that have been targeted, has sometimes been less than a ten-minute walk.

As a result of increasing acts of terror and the failure of the Palestinian leadership to try to stop them, Israel concluded that it could no longer rely on others for the protection of its citizens, and it decided to erect a physical barrier. The construction of a security fence is one of the most effective non-violent methods of preventing the passage of terrorists and their armaments from the terrorist factories in the heart of Palestinian cities to the heart of civilian areas. No terrorists have infiltrated from the Gaza Strip into Israel since the construction of a similar fence, under an Israeli-Palestinian agreement of 1994. That fence has in fact contributed to enhancing the personal security and welfare of Israeli and Palestinian communities on both sides of the fence.

Israeli Prime Minister Sharon has made clear that the security fence will not change the legal status of the Palestinians nor is it intended to mark future political borders. Such borders are to be determined through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Furthermore, the fence is planned so as to cause as little disturbance as possible to the Palestinians as they go about in their daily lives.