MIDDLE EAST: Israel is to move a section of the West Bank barrier it is building so that it will encompass less Palestinian land, officials have said, but at the same time plans were also announced for the construction of several hundred new housing units in settlements in the West Bank, writes Peter Hirschberg in Jerusalem.
The rerouting of part of the fence, which Israel says is meant to keep suicide bombers out of its cities, comes in the wake of a ruling by the Israeli High Court in June which determined that a 30-km stretch of fence near Jerusalem should be redrawn because of the hardship it caused to Palestinians. The ruling - the first of its kind - forced defence planners to reconsider other parts of the barrier. Palestinians say it is gobbling up land on which they hope to establish an independent state.
The move also comes in the wake of a decision in July by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, which ruled that the barrier was a violation of international law and must be torn down.
Earlier this week, the attorney general warned the Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, that the ruling could result in sanctions.
Col Danny Tirza, who is overseeing construction of the barrier in the Defence Ministry, said the fence would be moved closer to the pre-1967 border, which would delay construction by a year.
Israeli political sources yesterday said that 530 new homes were being built in settlements. Officials said some 100 homes were already under construction in Har Gilo, south of Jerusalem.
The announcement follows a government decision last week to issue tenders for the construction of 1,000 housing units in the West Bank. The latest settlement construction drive follows a New York Times report over the weekend which said the Bush administration had altered a long-standing US demand for a settlement freeze and was ready to accept construction inside existing Jewish settlements. Palestinian leaders reacted angrily, accusing the Americans of jeopardising any future peace process.
Palestinian leaders also fear that while Mr Sharon says he plans to evacuate all Jewish settlements in Gaza, at the same time he is trying to tighten Israeli control over large swathes of the West Bank.
The Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr Ahmed Korei, said that while Israel was "talking about evacuating settlements in Gaza, it is expanding all settlements in the West Bank. This will not bring about stability nor will it bring peace."
Meanwhile, a month after internal unrest rocked the Gaza Strip, Mr Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, yesterday held a reconciliatory meeting in Ramallah with his former security chief, Mr Mohammed Dahlan, who many believe was behind the rioting.