Maureen Lynch

By any name —- separation barrier, security fence, transfer wall —- the controversial enclosure under construction within the West Bank violates international humanitarian law and threatens Palestinian communities and livelihoods. Maureen Lynch just completed an assessment mission to the Middle East.

With war in Iraq looming, a war that may lead to the U.S. accepting similar legal responsibilities as the Occupying Power, the Israeli precedent highlights the human costs of non-compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention, writes Maureen Lynch, director of research of Refugees International.