Remember when the left insisted that the West Bank security fence would never ever work? The condescending pseudo-sophistication was exquisite, punctuated with not a few clicked tongues and exaggerated eyerolls: the Palestinians would use ladders, they could go around, they might dig under. And yet from the first meter of the fence in 2002, the more it was built the less suicide bombers got through.

Now some might argue that the bombings dwindled because economic conditions in the West Bank improved, alleviating some of the poverty that ostensibly causes Palestinians to murder Israeli gradeschoolers. But that's not an argument available to hysterical anti-fence leftists since their entire point is that the dreaded "apartheid wall" restricts Palestinian travel, commerce, and economic development. And yet suicide bombings undeniably dwindled.

Now West Bank Palestinians have been forced into admitting what leftists insisted was impossible: the presence of the barrier, which Israel spent enormous resources constructing, made their terror war impossible. So naturally they want the whole thing torn down. Luckily they've got a guy sitting in the Oval Office who once the fence a counterproductive "wall between two nations."

But Netanyahu is having none of it:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel has no intention of dismantling the West Bank separation fence, which he called "a critical component of Israel's security." "The separation fence will remain in place and will not be dismantled," Netanyahu told Knesset members. Media reports in Israel on Wednesday indicated that the Palestinian Authority had relayed to U.S. President Barack Obama a demand that the fence be removed since the security situation in the West Bank had improved. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters he had approached the United States on the issue. "The Israelis know that the wall adds to the complexities. It's part of the problem and not part of the solution," he said.

I like how they're now going to Obama with all of their unreasonable demands. It's like novels where the favorite brat of a sadistic headmaster keeps using his access to the teacher to torment other children. Except in this case it's a geopolitical farce that's destabilizing one of the most dangerous hotpots on the planet. Except for that.

References:
* 3 Out Of 4 US Jews Voting For Guy Who Wants Israel To Dismantle Security Fence
* Netanyahu: Israel won't dismantle West Bank fence [Ha'aretz]

Previously:
* UN Report On Security Fence Predictable In Every Way: Aggressively Contradictory, Blames Israel
* Israel Might Help Russia Build Security Fence - Most. Ironic. Aid. Ever.
* Jews Now Being Blamed by Media for Harassing Nonexistent, Modern-Day Joseph and Mary