JERUSALEM, 15 June 2004 — Israel has expropriated thousands of acres of Palestinian farmland to incorporate the Jewish settlement of Ariel, which lies some 20 km inside the West Bank, within its separation wall.
Mayor Ron Nahman said: “The building work has begun in our sector and shows that Ariel is being included within the barrier and is an integral part of Israel,” Nahman told Israeli public radio.
“It serves as a very strong message which is why I approve of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s separation plan as it allows Israel in the long run to integrate all the major settlements blocs” in the West Bank, he added.
Construction of the separation barrier began last year. The system of trenches, fences, walls and razor wire snakes through the West Bank, at times dipping deep into the territory claimed by the Palestinians for their state.
The most contentious barrier segment involves Ariel, a settlement with 18,000 residents in the heart of the West Bank.
The United States opposes including Ariel on the “Israeli” side of the barrier, a move that would deprive the Palestinians of large tracts of West Bank land.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that the United States was in ongoing talks with Israel on how to solve the problem.
Asaf Shariv, an adviser to Sharon, said Israel is currently building a portion of the fence that runs east to west. The construction will be completed in six months.
