Four hundred kilometers and counting — for Jewish Israel the West Bank barrier represents a longed-for separation from Palestinians, couched in the comfortable narrative of security. But as its varied malign effects on Palestinian society become clear, the barrier along its chosen route is becoming an icon of dispossession, opportunism and brutality, exposing Israel’s willingness for Palestinians to pay the price for its own security and prosperity as an ugly choice.

This slideshow looks at some of the ways the barrier is affecting Palestinians. But it also examines the barrier’s limitations, both physically as a wall easily climbed by young Palestinians during holy festivals and symbolically as it becomes a focal point for protesters and graffiti artists pushing for a fairer solution.

Tom Spender is a freelance journalist who has just spent a year in Israel/Palestine working for publications including IRIN, a UN humanitarian news agency, and the Al Jazeera website. He runs an occasional blog at freelanceontheroad.blogspot.com/, has photos at flickr.com/photos/tomspender/ and can be contacted at tspender AT hotmail DOT com.

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