OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 2 October 2003 — Israel’s government approved yesterday the next stage of a vast barrier it is building in the West Bank, despite international criticism that it cuts deep into Palestinian territory and undermines peace moves.
Political sources said the Cabinet decided to press on with construction of what it calls a security fence to keep out suicide bombers, including separate loops to be built around several blocs of Jewish settlements built on occupied land.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said US views on the fence, which President George W. Bush has described as a “problem”, had not changed, but he shied away from any explicit criticism of Israel’s latest decision.
In a compromise, the Israeli government decided to leave a gap near the sprawling settlement of Ariel, 20 km (12 miles) inside the West Bank, to soothe US concerns. “Certainly it has to pass east of Ariel, but in a manner which will not antagonize the population of the territories and which will be in coordination with the agreements we have with the US government,” said Deputy Premier Ehud Olmert. “All we are trying to do is first and foremost to provide security for the people who live there,” he said.
Palestinians say the barrier is an obstacle to a peace road map backed by Bush which outlines steps to end violence and establish a Palestinian state. “It is a big land grab and not a security wall,” said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. “The continuation of the wall will undermine President Bush’s vision of the peace process.”
The Israeli government approved a new 42-km (26-mile) section of the barrier in addition to the 150 km (90 miles) section that has already been built. Much of the barrier so far is an electronic sensor fence and in parts a huge cement wall.
The United States wants Ariel and other settlements nearby left beyond the barrier, but right-wing ministers and settlers want them included on Israel’s side.
A Western diplomat said delaying the decision over Ariel, home to 18,000 settlers, just put off an inevitable clash. “It kicks the problem down the road a little bit. Eventually they’re going to have to decide whether they’ll build the rest of the fence or not to fill the gap, and that will bring the problem back to the forefront,” he said.
Washington says the barrier runs counter to US goals in the region and the international community fears the barrier will create a de facto border that includes West Bank land which Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East War.
A report compiled for the United Nations and released on Tuesday called it “an unlawful act of annexation” which would cut off tens of thousands of Palestinians. The United States has threatened to reduce $9 billion worth of loan guarantees to Israel because of the route charted for the barrier. Washington sees it as a further impediment to the road map, which has already been stalled by tit-for-tat violence.
Also yesterday, Israeli troops killed an Islamic Jihad fighter and another Palestinian in Tulkarm and captured a key leader of the radical group in Jenin, witnesses and Israeli military sources said.
Seeking an end to Palestinian political turmoil that has compounded problems for the road map, Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qorei said he had reached agreement with President Yasser Arafat on the make-up of his Cabinet and would seek Parliament’s approval on Sunday or Monday. — Additional input from Agencies
