Rosner's Domain: How Christian interests were taken into account in building of the Security Fence

The byline says that "Col. (res.) Danny Tirza was in charge of planning the security fence between the West Bank and Israel", but truth must be told: Tirza is Mr. security fence - the only person Ariel Sharon would trust to plan such project (a somewhat unfavorable profile of Tirza's can be found here). Now, he has a new paper, published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and dealing with "the influence of Christian interests in setting the route of the Security Fence".

 His main motive, it seems, is to prove this claim:

 Despite the constraints of time and the pressing security needs, many efforts were invested and solutions were provided to meet the unique needs of the Christian churches in the region to guarantee the fundamental values of Western democracy - freedom of religion and religious observance, and free access to holy places, while at the same time limiting damage to property and preserving the churches' ties with their target communities. All this occurred while conducting a thorough study of needs and engaging in direct dialogue.

Since he was the principal planner, Tirza is inclined to say that:

The planning team for the security fence viewed religious observance and freedom of access to the holy places as an overriding principle, and made an effort to preserve ties with clergymen and provide a rapid response to any problem.

And he gives many examples as to prove this claim:

 ...the Lutheran school Talitha Kumi near Beit Jalla, where a special access road was built for those arriving from Jerusalem.

 ...near the Tomb of Lazarus, a special gate was erected for the use of clergymen and pilgrims visiting sites that were left on the Palestinian side of the fence

...In order to limit damages, the territorial interests of each and every church were mapped out and a joint effort was made to have the fence go along the margins of the plot

...the guesthouse and regional center of the Franciscan order "Kamboni Negrachia Sisters" is located in Azariya and borders an ancient Muslim cemetery. In order to include the church on the Israeli side of the fence and leave the Muslim cemetery on the Palestinian side, it was necessary to build an especially thin, yet strong, wall on top of the ancient wall between them in a complex feat of engineering.

And many more.

Will readers believe him?

I think those already convinced that the barrier was necessary will believe him - and the others will not. "The real solution to all of this will”, he told the Washington Post a year ago, "come with a peace agreement. And then, especially in Jerusalem, the wall will come down. And I will be among the first to help bring it down."