Behind the wall

A Chinese journalist takes a trip to the West Bank

I first saw it as I drove from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea. Of course, I had heard about it but had no idea of how big it was until it stood before me.

It was a lot higher than I had imagined - in some places as high as 8 meters - a gray concrete snake winding its way up a hill and down into a valley. At least 50 meters on each side was a barren strip of land: No buildings, no flowers, no trees. It was as if this wall had a force field repelling anyone or anything that came anywhere near it.