Editing Separation barrier

{{Short description|Type of wall separating peoples, administrative units or cultures}}
{{for|the type of barrier separating oncoming traffic on motorways|traffic barrier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
[[File:Berlinermauer.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Berlin Wall]] divided [[Berlin]] from 1961 until 1989, and was demolished between 1990 and 1992.]]
A '''separation barrier''' or '''separation wall''' is a [[Barricade|barrier]], [[wall]] or [[fence]], constructed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or [[border]], or to [[ethnic segregation|separate peoples]] or cultures.<ref>"The fence along the Mexican-U.S. border is just one of many barriers proposed or constructed around the world to keep people and cultures separated. Learn more about them below."[https://www.pbs.org/now/shows/432/security-walls.html]</ref> A separation barrier that runs along an [[international border|internationally recognized border]] is known as a [[border barrier]].{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

David Henley opines in ''[[The Guardian]]'' that separation barriers are being built at a record-rate around the world along borders and do not only surround dictatorships or pariah states. In 2014, The ''[[Washington Post]]'' listed notable 14 separation walls as of 2011, indicating that the total concurrent number of walls and barriers which [[border barrier|separate countries]] and territories is 45.<ref name=wp>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/11/11/these-14-walls-continue-to-separate-the-world/|title=These 14 walls continue to separate the world|first=Rick|last=Noack|date=11 November 2014|access-date=21 April 2018|work=The Washington Post}}</ref>

The term "separation barrier" has been applied to structures erected in [[Peace Lines|Belfast]], [[Homs]], the [[West Bank barrier|West Bank]], [[São Paulo]], [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|Cyprus]], and along the Greece-Turkey border and the [[Mexico–United States barrier|Mexico-United States border]]. In 2016, Julia Sonnevend listed in her book ''Stories Without Borders: The Berlin Wall and the Making of a Global Iconic Event'' the concurrent separation barriers of Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt), Limbang border ([[Brunei]]), the Kazakh-Uzbekistan barrier, Indian border fence with [[Bangladesh]], United States separation barrier with Mexico, Saudi Arabian border fence with Iraq and Hungary's fence with Serbia.<ref name=sonnevend/> Several erected separation barriers are no longer active or in place, including the [[Berlin Wall]], the [[Maginot Line]] and some barrier sections in Jerusalem.<ref name=henley>David Henley, [https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/19/walls-barrier-belfast-west-b-ank Walls: an illusion of security from Berlin to the West Bank], ''[[The Guardian]]'', November 19, 2013.</ref>

==Structures described as "separation barriers" or "separation walls"==
===Australia===
{{Main|Dingo fence}}
[[File:Dingo-Distribution-Fleming.png|thumb|The black line represents the Dingo Fence]]
One of the longest separation barriers in the world,<ref name=UNL>{{cite conference | first = R.J. | last = Downward |author2=Bromell, J.E. | title = The development of a policy for the management of dingo populations in South Australia | book-title = Proceedings of the Fourteenth Vertebrate Pest Conference 1990 | publisher = [[University of Nebraska - Lincoln]] | date = March 1990 | url = http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/vpc14/23/ | access-date = 2009-08-31}}</ref> the dingo fence is a [[pest-exclusion fence]] to keep [[dingo]]es out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent. In addition, it was initially established so that landowners could lawfully keep [[Australian Aboriginal]] people [[Ethnic hatred|off the land]].<ref name=guardian>{{cite web|title= Work under way to bridge 32km gap in NSW dog fence – but ecologists say it should be taken down|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/06/work-is-under-way-to-bridge-a-32km-gap-in-the-nsw-dog-fence-but-ecologists-say-it-should-be-taken-down|last=Spencer|first=Eliza|date=6 May 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=17 September 2024}}</ref>

Although the fence has helped reduce losses of sheep to [[predator]]s, this has been countered by holes in fences found in the 1990s through which dingo offspring have passed. Laws were appointed to protect the fence; [[prison sentence|jail term]]s of three months for leaving a crossing gate open, and six months for [[Property damage|damage]] or removal of part of the fence. Introduced in 1946, these penalties still apply today.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nsw.gov.au/regional-nsw/resources/nsw-wild-dog-fence-extension-project|title=NSW Wild Dog Fence Extension Project|date=20 June 2024 |publisher=[[New South Wales Government]]|access-date=17 September 2024}}</ref>

In 2009 as part of the [[Q150]] celebrations, the dingo fence was announced as one of the [[Q150 Icons]] of Queensland for its role as an iconic "innovation and invention".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|title=PREMIER UNVEILS QUEENSLAND'S 150 ICONS|last=Bligh|first=Anna|author-link=Anna Bligh|date=10 June 2009|publisher=[[Queensland Government]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524033717/http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|archive-date=24 May 2017|access-date=24 May 2017}}</ref> The fence staff consists of 23 employees, including two-person teams that patrol a {{convert|300|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} section of the fence twice every week.<ref>{{cite web | author = Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines | title = History of barrier fences in Queensland | date = 2005-09-29 | url = http://www.ddmrb.org.au/Files/History%20of%20Barrier%20Fences.pdf | access-date = 2009-08-31}}</ref>

===Central Europe===
{{Main|Roma wall}}

Communities in the [[Czech Republic]], [[Romania]] and [[Slovakia]] have long built [[Roma wall]]s in urban environments when a [[Romani people|Roma]] group is in close proximity to the rest of the population.<ref name="ray">{{cite news |title=Czechs pull down Gypsy wall |first=Ray |last=Furlong |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/534383.stm |newspaper=[[BBC]] |date=November 24, 1999 |access-date=7 July 2013}}</ref>

===Cyprus===
{{Main|United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus}}

[[File:Green Line near Paphos Gate.JPG|thumb|Green Line separation barrier, Cyprus]]

Since the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974]], Turkey has constructed and maintained what economics professor Rongxing Guo has called a "separation barrier" of {{convert|300|km|mi}} along the 1974 Green Line (or ceasefire line) dividing the island of [[Cyprus]] into two parts, with a [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|United Nations buffer zone]] between them.<ref>Rongxing Guo, ''Territorial Disputes and Resource Management: A Global Handbook'', Nova Publishers, 2006, [https://books.google.com/books?id=z5Le627xQLgC&dq=cyprus+%22separation+barrier%22&pg=PA91 p 91],
{{ISBN|1600214452}}, 9781600214455</ref>

===Egypt===
====Egypt-Gaza barrier====
{{Main|Egypt–Gaza barrier}}
[[File:Road to Gaza 060 - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|thumb|Rafah Border Crossing]]
The [[Egypt–Gaza barrier]] is often referred as "separation barrier" in the media<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/egypt-gaza-hamas-border.html |title=Egypt-Gaza Border Quiet Despite Political Rhetoric - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East |publisher=Al-Monitor |access-date=2013-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211222434/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/egypt-gaza-hamas-border.html |archive-date=2013-12-11 |url-status=dead |date=2013-10-09 }}</ref> or as a "separating wall".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-dec-21-la-fg-egypt-wall21-2009dec21-story.html |title=Egypt's barrier along Gaza border called 'wall of shame'  |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2009-12-21 |access-date=2013-11-22 |first1=Jeffrey |last1=Fleishman |first2=Amro |last2=Hassan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/25/AR2008012500938.html |title=Dear Palestinian Brothers . . . Please Return to Gaza |work=The Washington Post |access-date=2013-11-22 |first1=Nora |last1=Younis |first2=Ellen |last2=Knickmeyer |date=2008-01-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/26/world/middleeast/26gaza.html?_r=0|title=Egypt Tries to Plug Border; Gazans Poke New Hole|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2013-11-22|first=Steven|last=Erlanger|date=2008-01-26}}</ref> In December 2009, Egypt started the construction of the Egypt–Gaza barrier along the [[Gaza–Egypt border|border with Gaza]], consisting of a steel wall. Egypt's foreign minister said that the wall, being built along the country's border with the [[Gaza Strip]] will defend it "against threats to national security".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2009/12/20091222134531894506.html |title=Egypt defends Gaza wall - Middle East |publisher=Al Jazeera English |access-date=2013-11-22}}</ref> Though the construction paused a number of times, the wall is nearly complete.

====Sharm el-Sheikh barrier====
According to Julia Sonnevend, the anti-terrorist barrier around the Sharm el-Sheikh resort in Egypt is in fact a separation barrier.<ref name=sonnevend>Julia Sonnevend. [https://books.google.com/books?id=kQgBDQAAQBAJ Stories Without Borders: The Berlin Wall and the Making of a Global Iconic Event]. Oxford University Press. 2016.</ref>

===India===
{{Main|Line of Control}}
The [[Line of Control]] (LoC) refers to the military control line between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of the former princely state of [[Kashmir and Jammu (princely state)|Kashmir and Jammu]]—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but is the [[de facto]] border. Originally known as the ''Cease-fire Line'', it was redesignated as the "Line of Control" following the [[Simla Agreement]], which was signed on 3 July 1972. The part of the former princely state that is under Indian control was known as the state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], which was split into two separate [[Union Territory|Union Territories]]. The two parts of the former princely state that are under Pakistani control are known as [[Gilgit–Baltistan]] and [[Azad Kashmir]] (AJK). Its northernmost point is known as the [[NJ9842]]. This territorial division, which to this day still exists, severed many villages and separated family members from each other.<ref>Ranjan Kumar Singh, Sarhad: Zero Mile, (Hindi), ''Parijat Prakashan'', {{ISBN|81-903561-0-0}}</ref><ref name="loc kashmir">{{cite book | author=Women in Security, Conflict Management, a Peace (Program) | title=Closer to ourselves: stories from the journ towards peace in South Asia | url=https://books.google.com/books?q=line+of+control+separated+villages+families+relatives+in+kashmir&btnG=Search+Books | access-date=19 June 2013 |year=2008 | publisher=WISCOMP, Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama 2008 | page=75}}</ref>

A separation fence construction between Indian and Pakistani controlled areas, based on 1972 cease-fire line, was initiated by India in 2003.<ref>"It is a fence, meant to keep at bay infiltrators from Pakistan who are seeking to separate India's portion of Kashmir from India." [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/04/world/india-and-pakistan-good-fences-make-good-neighbors.html?_r=0]</ref>
In December 2013, it was revealed that India plans a construction of a separation wall in the Himalayan area in Kashmir.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/12/india-planning-separation-wall-kashmir-2013121513811151676.html|title=India planning a 'separation wall' in Kashmir|first=Baba|last=Umar|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref> The wall is aimed to cover 179&nbsp;km.
[[File:India-Pakistan Border at Night.jpg|thumb|right| The India-Pakistan border seen at night]]

The other sections of India's borders also have a fence or wall.

===Israel===
{{Main|Israeli West Bank barrier}}
[[File:Israel - Jerusalem - Mount Zion - 03 (4261536735).jpg|thumb|230px|Israeli West Bank barrier between [[East Jerusalem]] and [[Abu Dis]]]]
[[File:BeitSurikJune032022.jpg|thumb|230px|Israeli West Bank barrier and [[Beit Surik]] behind it]]
[[File:Die Mauer von Bethlehem.jpg|thumb|230px|Israeli West Bank barrier in [[Bethlehem]]]]
[[Israel]] began building the [[Israeli West Bank barrier]] in 2002, in order to protect civilians from [[Palestinian political violence|Palestinian terrorism]] such as suicide bombing attacks which increased significantly during the [[Second Intifada]]. Barrier opponents claim it seeks to annex [[Palestine|Palestinian]] land under the guise of security and undermines peace negotiations by unilaterally establishing new borders. When completed it will be a 700-kilometres long network of high walls, electronic fences, gates and trenches. It is a controversial barrier because much of it is built outside the [[1949 Armistice Agreements|1949 Armistice Line]] ([[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]]), ''[[de facto]]'' annexing potentially 10 percent of Palestinian land, according to the [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]]. It cuts far into the West Bank and encompasses Israel's largest settlement blocs containing hundreds of thousands of settlers.

In June 2004, the [[Israeli Supreme Court]] held that building the wall on West Bank Palestinian land is in itself legal, but it ordered some changes to the original route, which separated 35,000 Palestinian farmers from their lands and crops. The Israeli finance minister ([[Benjamin Netanyahu]]) replied that it was disputed land, not Palestinian, and its final status would be resolved in political negotiation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-06-30-israel-barrier_x.htm |title= Israel orders separation barrier changes |work=USA Today |date=2004-06-30 |access-date=2013-11-22}}</ref> In July 2004, the [[International Court of Justice]] at [[The Hague]] in an [[advisory opinion]] declared the barriers [[International law and Israeli settlements|illegal under international law]] and called on Israel to dismantle the walls, return confiscated land and make reparations for damages.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/07/09/israel.barrier/index.html |title=U.N. court rules West Bank barrier illegal - Jul 9, 2004 |publisher=CNN |access-date=2013-11-22 |date=2004-07-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://domino.un.org/pdfs/Palestine.pdf |title=International Court of Justice - Legal consequences of the construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory - Written Statement submitted by Palestine|date=30 January 2004|page=364|publisher=CNN|access-date=2013-11-22}}</ref>  In spite of all this, the number of Arab terrorist suicide bombings continued to decrease with the gradual completion of segments of the Security Barrier as was initially stated it would by the Israeli authorities.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ministry of Defense|title=Israel Security Fence|url=http://www.securityfence.mod.gov.il/Pages/ENG/questions.htm#q26|website=MoD|access-date=6 May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003072906/http://www.securityfence.mod.gov.il/Pages/ENG/questions.htm#q26|archive-date=3 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bard|first1=Mitchell|title=West bank Security Fence|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/fence.html|website=Jewish Virtual Library|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref>

Israel refers to land between the 1949 lines and the separation barrier as the [[Seam Zone]], including all of [[East Jerusalem]]. In 2003, the military declared that only Israeli citizens and Palestinians with permits are allowed to be inside it; Palestinians have found it increasingly difficult to get permits unless they own land in the zone.<ref name=ICJ>{{cite web|title=Israel's Separation Barrier:Challenges to the Rule of Law and Human Rights: Executive Summary Part I and II|publisher=[[International Commission of Jurists]]|date=6 July 2004|access-date=2012-05-27|url=http://www.nad-plo.org/userfiles/file/Document/walllawhr.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418135746/http://www.nad-plo.org/userfiles/file/Document/walllawhr.pdf|archive-date=18 April 2012}}</ref><ref name=MFA>{{cite web|title=Cabinet Communique|date=1 October 2003|access-date=2007-08-31|url=http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2003/Cabinet+Communique+-+1-Oct-2003.htm}}</ref> The separation barrier cuts off east Jerusalem and some settlement blocs from the West Bank, even as Israelis and Arabs build structures and communities in eastern Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2013/03/palestinian_official_rejects_p.html |title=Palestinian official rejects partial Israeli settlement freeze to restart peace talks |publisher=OregonLive.com |access-date=2013-11-22 |date=2013-03-24}}</ref> Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have continued to protest the separation barrier.<ref>Ben Ehrenreich, [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/magazine/is-this-where-the-third-intifada-will-start.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Is This Where the Third Intifada Will Start?], [[New York Times]], March 15, 2013.</ref>

The existing barrier cuts off access to the [[Jordan River]] for Palestinian farmers in the West Bank.<ref>Ferry Biedermann, [http://www.ipsnews.net/2004/11/mideast-environment-too-encounters-a-barrier/ Mideast: Environment Too Encounters a Barrier], [[Inter Press Service]], November 25, 2004.</ref> Due to international condemnation after the International Court ruling, Israel did not build an even stronger barrier, instead instituting permit-based access control.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.btselem.org/settlements/20060213_annexation_of_the_jordan_valley |title=13 Feb. 2006: Israel has de facto annexed the Jordan Valley &#124; B'Tselem |publisher=Btselem.org |date=2006-02-13 |access-date=2013-11-22}}</ref> It has been opined that this change was to allow land to be annexed.<ref>Akiva Eldar, [http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-effectively-annexes-palestinian-land-near-jordan-valley-1.396225 Israel effectively annexes Palestinian land near Jordan Valley], [[Haaretz]], November 18, 2011.</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2019}} Israeli settlement councils already have de facto control of 86 percent of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=576374 |title=Beyond the E-1 Israeli settlement &#124; Maan News Agency |publisher=Maannews.net |access-date=2013-11-22}}</ref> as the settler population steadily grows there.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/eu-on-verge-of-abandoning-hope-for-a-viable-palestinian-state-28701935.html |title=EU on verge of abandoning hope for a viable Palestinian state |newspaper=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |date=2012-01-12 |access-date=2013-11-22}}</ref>

===Kuwait===
{{Main|Kuwait-Iraq barrier}}
[[File:Flickr - The U.S. Army - Closing the gate.jpg|thumb|US and Kuwaiti soldiers closing the gate to Iraq of the border barrier in 2011]]
Writer [[Damon DiMarco]] has described as a "separation barrier" the [[Kuwait-Iraq barrier|Kuwait-Iraq barricade]] constructed by the United Nations in 1991 [[History of Kuwait#Gulf War (1990–91)|after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was repelled]]. With [[Electric fence|electrified fencing]] and [[concertina wire]], it includes a 5-meter-wide trench and a high [[berm]]. It runs 180 kilometers along the border between the two nations.<ref>Damon DiMarco, ''Heart of War: Soldiers? Voices'', Citadel Press, 2007, [https://books.google.com/books?id=W9cRi1vkKJIC&dq=Kuwait%E2%80%93Iraq++%22Separation+barrier%22&pg=PA129 p. 129], {{ISBN|0806528141}}, 9780806528144</ref>

===Lebanon===
A 2016 separation wall around the [[Ain al-Hilweh]] camp in Lebanon is intended to separate the local [[Palestinians in Lebanon|Palestinian-Lebanese population]] and [[Syrian refugees|Syrian refugee]] [[Palestinians in Syria|Palestinians]] from the surrounding society.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/11/19/lebanon-begins-building-security-wall-around-palestinian-refugee-camp|title=Lebanon begins building 'security wall' around Palestinian refugee camp|first=The New|last=Arab|website=alaraby.co.uk|date=19 November 2016|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref>

===Malaysia===
Renee Pirrong of [[The Heritage Foundation]] described the [[Malaysia–Thailand border#Barrier|Malaysia–Thailand border barrier]] as a "separation barrier". Its purpose is to cut down on smuggling, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, crime and insurgency.<ref>Renee Pirron, {{unfit|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100813171410/http://blog.heritage.org/2010/08/06/fences-and-neighbors/ "Fences and Neighbors"]}}, [[The Heritage Foundation]] blog, August 6, 2010</ref>
[[File:Padang Besar, Perlis, Malaysia - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Wall between Malaysia and Thailand]]

===Saudi Arabia===
{{Main|Saudi-Yemen barrier}}
In 2004 [[Saudi Arabia]] began construction of a [[Saudi-Yemen barrier]] between its territory and [[Yemen]] to prevent the unauthorized movement of people and goods into and out of the Kingdom. Some have labeled it a "separation barrier".<ref>Anthony H. Cordesman, ''Saudi Arabia: National Security in a Troubled Region'',
[https://books.google.com/books?id=1OpmRrNzFHgC&dq=Saudi%E2%80%93Yemen+separation+barrier&pg=PA276 p. 276].</ref> In February 2004 ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that Yemeni opposition newspapers likened the barrier to the Israeli West Bank barrier,<ref name = Gdn1>{{cite news
| url= https://www.theguardian.com/yemen/Story/0,,1149722,00.html
| title= Saudi security barrier stirs anger in Yemen
| access-date = 2007-03-23
| last= Whitaker
| first= Brian
| work=The Guardian
| date= February 17, 2004
| location=London
}}</ref> while ''[[The Independent]]'' wrote "Saudi Arabia, one of the most vocal critics in the Arab world of Israel's 'security fence' in the West Bank, is quietly emulating the Israeli example by erecting a barrier along its porous border with Yemen".<ref>{{cite news
| url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-enrages-yemen-with-fence-569574.html
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110409211735/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-enrages-yemen-with-fence-569574.html
| url-status= dead
| archive-date= April 9, 2011
| title= Saudi Arabia enrages Yemen with fence
| access-date = 2007-03-23
| last=Bradley
| first=John
| work=[[The Independent]]
| date=February 11, 2004
| location=London
}}</ref> Saudi officials rejected the comparison saying it was built to prevent infiltration and smuggling.<ref name = Gdn1/>

Saudi Arabia has also built a wall on the Saudi Iraqi border.

===Turkey===
[[File:Turkish border guards disperse protesters in Kobanî.png|230px|thumb|Turkish border guards manning [[Armoured fighting vehicle|armoured vehicle]]s disperse protesters with a [[water cannon]] along the Turkey–Syria fence in [[Kobanî]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dengeamerika.com/a/kobane_ap/3491434.html|title=AP: In the Turkish forces attack, 1 killed in Kobani, dozens injured|work=Voice of America|date=2 September 2016}}</ref>]]

The [[Syria–Turkey barrier]] is a wall and fence under construction along the [[Syria–Turkey border]] aimed at preventing [[Illegal immigration|illegal crossings]] and [[smuggling]] from [[Syria]] into [[Turkey]].<ref name=Confident>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-construction-toki-idUSKBN13Y1XX Reuters: "Turkish developer confident Syria wall in place by spring" By Nevzat Devranoglu and Orhan Coskun] December 9, 2016</ref> In 2017, The Syrian government accused Turkey of building a [[separation wall]], referring to the barrier.<ref name=xinhuanet>{{Cite web|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-02/18/c_136065492.htm|title = Damascus accuses Turkey of building separation wall in northern Syria - Xinhua &#124; English.news.cn}}</ref>

From 2017, Turkey began construction a barrier along the [[Iran–Turkey border]] aimed at preventing illegal immigration and smuggling.<ref>[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-builds-700-kilometer-long-wall-on-syrian-border.aspx?PageID=238&NID=114336&NewsCatID=341 Hürriyet Daily News: "Turkey builds 700 kilometer long wall on Syrian border"] 15 June 2017</ref>

===United Kingdom===
{{Main|Peace lines}}

[[File:Gates in the 'Peace Line'.jpg|thumb|right|Gates in a "peace line" in [[Belfast|West Belfast]] ]]

Over 21 miles of high walling or fencing separate [[Catholic]] and [[Protestant]] communities in [[Northern Ireland]], with most concentrated in [[Belfast]] and [[Derry]]. The wall{{clarify|date=September 2014}} was built in 1969 in order to separate the Catholic and Protestant areas in Belfast.<ref>"The wall was built in 1969 to separate the Catholic Falls Road and the Protestant Shankill Road. An Army Major, overseeing the construction of the wall at the time, said: 'This is a temporary measure ... we do not want to see another Berlin wall situation in Western Europe ... it will be gone by Christmas'. In 2019, that wall still remains and almost 100 additional walls and barriers now complement the original. " [http://www.palgrave-journals.com/bp/journal/v8/n3/abs/bp201311a.html]</ref> An Army Major, overseeing the construction of the wall at the time, said: 'This is a temporary measure ... we do not want to see another Berlin wall situation in Western Europe ... it will be gone by Christmas'. In 2013, that wall still remains and almost 100 additional walls and barriers now complement the original. Technically known as '[[peace wall]]s', there are moves to remove all of them by 2023 by mutual consent.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/robinson-and-mcguinness-want-peace-walls-down-within-10-years-1.1388183 | title=Robinson and McGuinness want "peace walls" down within 10 years | newspaper=The Irish Times | date=10 May 2013 | access-date=5 January 2014}}</ref>

===United States===
{{Main|Mexico–United States barrier}}

[[File:US-Mexico border fence.jpg|thumb|right| A barrier along the US-Mexico border. A US Border Patrol watches the barrier.]]

The [[United States]] constructed a barrier on the [[U.S.-Mexico border|border]] with [[Mexico]] of {{convert|3169|km|mi}} to prevent unauthorized immigration into the United States and to deter smuggling of contraband. The US [[President Trump]] stated that he would replace the wall with an updated [[Mexico–United States border wall]]; some parts of the old wall have been replaced.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46824649|title = Trump wall: How much has he actually built?|work = BBC News|date = 31 October 2020}}</ref>

The [[Detroit Wall]] was erected to enforce [[redlining]] as part of the policies of [[racial segregation in the United States]].

===Western Sahara===
{{Main|Moroccan Western Sahara Wall}}

[[File:Western sahara walls moroccan map-en.svg|thumb|System of the Moroccan Walls in [[Western Sahara]] with chronology of their construction]]

[[Morocco]] has constructed a 2,700&nbsp;km (1,700&nbsp;mi) long [[berm|sand wall]] cutting through the length of [[Western Sahara]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/12/201212247936401443.html|title=Inside disputed Western Sahara|first=Tom|last=Stevenson|website=Aljazeera|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref><ref name="wp"/> [[Land mines in North Africa|Minefields]] and watchtowers serve to separate the [[Southern Provinces|Moroccan-controlled zone]] from the sparsely populated [[Free Zone (region)|Free Zone]].

==Past separation barriers==

===Germany===
[[File:BerlinWall-BrandenburgGate.jpg|right|thumb|People climb onto the wall near [[Brandenburg Gate]] during the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]], November 1989.]]
{{Main|Berlin Wall}}
The [[Berlin Wall]] was a [[Border barrier|barrier]] that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989,<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-myths-berlin-wall-fall-reagan-east-west-perspec-1102-20141031-story.html#page=1|title=Untangling 5 myths about the Berlin Wall|author=Chicago Tribune|date=31 October 2014|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=1 November 2014}}</ref> constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, [[East Germany]]) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off (by land) [[West Berlin]] from surrounding [[East Germany]] and from [[East Berlin]] until it was opened in November 1989.<ref>{{cite video
 | year =1961
 | title =Video: Berlin, 1961/08/31 (1961)
 | url =https://archive.org/details/1961-08-31_Berlin
 | publisher =[[Universal Newsreel]]
 | access-date =20 February 2012
}}</ref> Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and was completed in 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/berlin-wall-anniversary-1762450-Nov2014/|title=In Photos: 25 years ago today the Berlin Wall fell|first=Órla|last=Ryan|website=thejournal.ie|date=9 November 2014 |access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref> The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls,<ref name="Marck">[http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/5/2006_5_70.shtml Jack Marck] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829173505/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/5/2006_5_70.shtml |date=2008-08-29 }} "Over the Wall: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience" ''American Heritage'', October 2006.</ref> which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "[[bed of nails|fakir beds]]" and other defenses. The [[Eastern Bloc]] claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a [[Communism|socialist state]] in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive [[Eastern Bloc emigration and defection|emigration and defection]] that marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.

The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the "[[Anti-Fascist]] Protection Rampart" ({{langx|de|Antifaschistischer Schutzwall}}) by GDR authorities, implying that the [[NATO]] countries and [[West Germany]] in particular were "[[fascism|fascists]]".<ref>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715113028/http://homepage.univie.ac.at/ernst.grabovszki/Handout_Eingemauert.pdf |date=15 July 2011}}</ref> The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the "[[Wall of Shame]]"—a term coined by mayor [[Willy Brandt]]—while condemning the Wall's restriction on [[freedom of movement]]. Along with the separate and much longer [[Inner German border]] (IGB), which demarcated the border between East and [[West Germany]], it came to symbolize the "[[Iron Curtain]]" that separated Western Europe and the [[Eastern Bloc]] during the [[Cold War]].

Before the Wall's erection, 3.5&nbsp;million East Germans circumvented [[Eastern Bloc emigration and defection|Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions]] and defected from the GDR, many by crossing over the border from East Berlin into West Berlin, from where they could then travel to West Germany and other Western European countries. Between 1961 and 1989, the wall prevented almost all such emigration.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,959058,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121211406/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,959058,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 21, 2007 |title=Freedom!  |publisher=Time |date=20 November 1989 |access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref> During this period, around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall, with an estimated death toll of from 136<ref name="Chronik">{{cite web|url=http://www.chronik-der-mauer.de/index.php/de/Common/Document/field/file/id/45997 |title=Forschungsprojekt "Die Todesopfer an der Berliner Mauer, 1961–1989": BILANZ (Stand: 7. August 2008) (in German) |access-date=6 August 2011}}</ref> to more than 200<ref name="contemporary research">{{cite web|url=http://www.chronik-der-mauer.de/index.php/de/Start/Index/id/593792 |title=Center for Contemporary Historical Research (Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung Potsdam e.V) in German |publisher=Chronik-der-mauer.de |access-date=6 August 2011}}</ref> in and around Berlin.

In 1989, [[Revolutions of 1989|a series of radical political changes]] occurred in the [[Eastern Bloc]], associated with the [[glasnost|liberalization]] of the Eastern Bloc's authoritarian systems and the erosion of political power in the pro-[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] governments in nearby [[Poland]] and [[Hungary]]. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, euphoric people and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of what was left. Contrary to popular belief the wall's actual demolition did not begin until the summer of 1990 and was not completed until 1992.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1"/> The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for [[German reunification]], which was formally concluded on 3 October 1990.

==See also==
* [[Border barrier]]
*[[Defensive wall]]s
* [[List of fortifications]]
* [[List of walls]]
* [[List of cities with defensive walls]]
* [[Pest-exclusion fence]]
* [[Buffer zone]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040715080326/http://www.defenddemocracy.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=211945 Security fences around the world]
* [https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200503/cutler Security fences] in ''[[The Atlantic Monthly]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120206221142/http://www.erasmuspc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=181&Itemid=83 Article about city walls on Erasmuspc]
* [https://www.pbs.org/now/shows/527/index.html "Obama's Border Fence"], NOW on PBS, July 3, 2009
{{commons category}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Separation Barrier}}
[[Category:Separation barriers| ]]
[[Category:Fences]]
[[Category:Fortifications by type]]
[[Category:Types of wall]]
[[Category:Borders]]
[[Category:Divided cities]]
[[Category:Physical security]]
[[Category:Human migration]]
[[Category:Political geography]]