In an article underscoring the important role that semantics play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (namely, with respect to the word “intifada”), I was struck by the irony of Marie Wilson’s careless characterization of Israel’s West Bank barrier as an “apartheid wall” in her April 4 piece on “Cafe Intifada.”

This may well be the term that Students for Justice in Palestine utilizes to portray the structure, but Ms. Wilson’s choice to use such a partisan description without quotation marks smacks of irresponsible journalism.

Indeed, it would be no more appropriate to describe the barrier as a Fence for Life, as it has been depicted by the eponymous Israeli movement and other pro-Israel constituencies.

The diligent use of putatively neutral language in characterizing aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not only avoids implicit bias but further incentivizes readers to familiarize themselves with the intricacies of this complex and costly dispute.

Jeff Brown

Graduate student