A Sea of Barbed Wire in a Jerusalem Street

This image is black-and-white, showing a street filled with barbed wire filling most of the visible space. The buildings lining the street on the left appear to be shops and other commercial buildings. Following left to right, the sidewalk is clear of fencing except for young trees with guards around them. The trees line the sidewalk all the way down. On the right side of the photograph, the sidewalk is lined with a large chain-link fence and concrete barricades all the way down the street. On the other side of the fence is a large limestone building that appears to be a municipal-like structure. The caption states, “A sea of barbed wire in a Jerusalem street: One of the means used to keep Jews and Arabs apart during the truce before the mandate ended”.

This photograph is part of a larger picture of the War of 1948; the barbed wire itself is a physical cue that helps highlight the division that was happening between the Israelis and Arabs. Moreover, the barbed wire was in place not only to divide people, but it was also implemented to keep people in. The use of barbed wire shows that this war was fought not only on battlefields but also in everyday life. In this image, it turned an ordinary commercial street into the front lines of the battle. The British Mandate, which was coming to an end while this picture was being taken, also allows us to visualize the complex background shaping this conflict into what it becomes. This commercial street, Princess Mary Avenue, provides a lens into the human communities affected by conflict and war over the years.