ethics
02-13-2004, 12:06 PM
Despite giving Israel a tongue-lashing for building a security wall in the West Bank, Saudi Arabia has been busy constructing a security wall of its own (http://straitstimes.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,234941,00.html) along its border with Yemen. (The Israelis haven't failed to notice this gross hypocrisy (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=3329).) Not surprisingly, just as the Palestinians complained about the Israeli security wall, the Yemenis have protested (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=490024) the Saudi wall because it encroaches on 20km of land that both countries agreed would remain neutral territory.
But why is such a wall needed in the first place? It turns out that the Saudis built it for the same reasons the Israelis built their wall: to defend themselves against terrorists, including suicide bombers: "explosives and weapons smuggled across the border have been used by terrorists for at least a decade, including those involved in two massive suicide attacks inside Saudi Arabia last year which killed more than 50... However, it is not all one-way traffic. Saudi Arabia is a source of ideological inspiration and financial support for Yemen-based militants. They receive much of their funding from that country, and many are products of the Saudi education system, which breeds extremism."
But why is such a wall needed in the first place? It turns out that the Saudis built it for the same reasons the Israelis built their wall: to defend themselves against terrorists, including suicide bombers: "explosives and weapons smuggled across the border have been used by terrorists for at least a decade, including those involved in two massive suicide attacks inside Saudi Arabia last year which killed more than 50... However, it is not all one-way traffic. Saudi Arabia is a source of ideological inspiration and financial support for Yemen-based militants. They receive much of their funding from that country, and many are products of the Saudi education system, which breeds extremism."