Turn back the clock by about a decade: Ehud Barak, Avi Dichter, Dan Meridor and Haim Ramon took a stand against the entire political spectrum -- Right and Left -- that was opposed to building the security barrier between Israel and the settlement blocs and the rest of Judea and Samaria. Palestinian terrorists were proud: "Blood flowed like water." But the country's leaders at the time refused, each for their own reasons. Some because of the settlers and others because of the Palestinians. At the end of the day, the struggle and the strength of terrorism forced the Israeli government to declare support for the security barrier -- it was built and it did indeed save many lives. But not enough. Because the original sin was not completely erased and Israel did not finish building the life-saving apparatus. The long-lasting calm tricked the public, and on Wednesday, not for the first time, the Jews paid with their blood for the frivolity of the Right, the Left and the employers who want illegal, cheap labor. The terrorist from Tulkarem was a perfect example. He made the trip again and again, until one time, he drew a knife. * * * Only in the meantime, there is no longer a core to fight for the renewal of the security fence. Barak is doing business, Meridor is busy, Dichter is vying for his spot on the Likud list and Haim Ramon is dealing with his troubles with Eyal Berkovic at Hapoel Tel Aviv. The politicians are still against the fence in order to maintain support from their voters or donors. The one effective tool for fighting rogue terror attacks has been orphaned. * * * This time, party heads and business owners will not be able to claim that the fence is not a solution. It has already proven itself. It proves itself every day and every night along the border with Egypt, where the infiltrators from Africa have been stopped. On the Egyptian border, it was considered a success because everyone was interested in the outcome, but in Judea and Samaria, that is not the case because there is no agreement on stopping the illegal laborers, who are several times more dangerous than any African migrant. * * * Wednesday's terror attack in the heart of Tel Aviv will not cause the public to join together in a cry like that of poet Haim Nahman Bialik on a different matter, "Arise, desert wanderers." In the struggle a decade ago, Ramon said several times, "We will win the fight for the fence when the death toll reaches 750." It is not worth waiting for that to happen again.
