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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel Orders Security Fence Plugged |
| 2006-04-27 |
| JERUSALEM, April 26 — Israel's prime minister-designate, Ehud Olmert, told top security officials today to swiftly plug the gaps in the separation barrier around Jerusalem. His order came nine days after a Palestinian suicide bomber struck again in Israel. Israel's separation barrier still has numerous openings around Jerusalem, and Israeli security officials consider the city one of the places most vulnerable to attack. Legal challenges in Israel resulted in temporary injunctions against building the barrier in several parts of Jerusalem. Israel's Supreme Court recently dismissed the injunctions against building, though the justices have yet to issue final rulings in the cases, according to Marc Luria, a founder of the Security Fence for Israel, a private group. The court could still rule against the state's proposed route, which would require the barrier to be moved. But Mr. Olmert said some sort of obstacle should be put in place as soon as possible. Mr. Olmert ordered "all gaps be closed immediately by means of temporary fences until they are permanently closed by the security fence," according to the prime minister's office. The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled in 2004 that building the fence inside the West Bank, where most of it is being erected, is a violation of international law. Israel rejected the decision, saying the barrier is necessary to prevent suicide bombings and other attacks. In Jerusalem, much of the barrier runs along the eastern edge of the city, keeping virtually all of the city on the Israeli side. About three-quarters of the Jerusalem barrier has been completed or is under construction, while about one-quarter has been blocked by the legal challenges, according to Mr. Luria. Israel captured East Jerusalem, which is part of the West Bank, in the 1967 Mideast war and subsequently annexed it, a move that has not been recognized internationally. The Palestinian leadership has traditionally sought East Jerusalem as a future capital, and objected to the barrier inside the West Bank, which it seeks as part of a Palestinian state. In the most recent suicide bombing, a West Bank Palestinian killed nine people at a restaurant in Tel Aviv on April 17. Israeli officials have not said how he reached the city, though Israeli media reports cited officials saying that they believe he came through an opening in or near Jerusalem. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 Strong first, then stylish. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-04-27 16:38 |
| #1 And where the fence is, there will be Israel's permanent border. Good. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-04-27 16:36 |