The Architecture of Separation
The Architecture of Separation

Israeli Policy towards the Palestinians in the West Bank

Summary/Abstract: According to the classic view of architecture, its primary functionis to create spatial law and order so as to improve the functioningof man in the architectural environment. Classical works on thetheory of architecture focused on those qualities that portrayedarchitecture as having a clearly positive dimension, the pursuitof which should be the primary task of an architect. Is it true,however, that architecture has only one common meaning? Thisassertion is undermined by buildings constructed on borderlands,which are imposed on one community by another. An example isthe wall being erected by Israel since 2002 to separate the statefrom the West Bank. While it has become a symbol of securityand order for the Israelis, it is an emblem of enslavement andchaos for the Palestinians who have been trapped on the otherside of the barrier.

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