The analogy implied by the author of the letter titled "Hope for Reagan-type to utter his words," published Nov. 22, is absurd. Indeed, the security barrier constructed by Israel, only about 5 percent of which can reasonably be referred to as a "wall," could not be more different than that of the Berlin Wall.While the Berlin Wall was built to repress the desire of East Germans for freedom, the security barrier forced on Israel by the terror offensive launched by the Palestinian Arabs was built to save lives. In that, it has succeeded extremely well, likely already saving thousands of lives, not just Israeli lives, but Arab lives as well.

While the Berlin Wall was built to repress the desire of East Germans for freedom, the security barrier forced on Israel by the terror offensive launched by the Palestinian Arabs was built to save lives. In that, it has succeeded extremely well, likely already saving thousands of lives, not just Israeli lives, but Arab lives as well.One cannot help but question the motives of those who ignore numerous walls around the world, generally built either for economic reasons or to simply keep innocent but unwanted people away, while reserving their criticism for the one barrier built to preserve the most important human right of all, the right to life.

One cannot help but question the motives of those who ignore numerous walls around the world, generally built either for economic reasons or to simply keep innocent but unwanted people away, while reserving their criticism for the one barrier built to preserve the most important human right of all, the right to life.

Editor's note: The writer is president of Promoting Responsibility in Middle East Reporting - Connecticut.