Israel to redraw barrier route

JERUSALEM – Israel is redrawing the route of its West Bank barrier closer to its borders to ensure Palestinians are not cut off from their lands in keeping with a High Court order, security sources said yesterday.

The World Court, the UN’s highest judicial arm, branded the barrier illegal and called for its removal in a non-binding opinion last week rejected by Israel and hailed by Palestinians. Two senior US security envoys were to see prime minister Ariel Sharon shortly about the repercussions of the World Court decision, unauthorised Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank, and his plan to withdraw settlers from occupied Gaza.An Israeli security source said redrafted defence ministry guidelines for the barrier – a 100 metre wide swathe of razor-fringed fencing and concrete walls – would have it run “as close as possible” to the Israeli-West Bank boundary.The barrier henceforth should not isolate nearby Palestinian farmers from olive and citrus groves or maroon villages in enclaves without free access to essential services like schools and hospitals, markets and West Bank cities, the source said.”These are the new guidelines the defence ministry intends to operate with.We are obeying our own High Court, not The Hague (World Court),” he said.”But it’s also a way of deflecting future international pressure on us (to tear down the barrier).It’s an important step after The Hague.”Sharon cited a bomb that killed a woman at a bus stop on Monday as further proof of the need to keep building the barrier Israel bills as its bulwark against Palestinian militants infiltrating from the West Bank.Palestinians condemn it as a ruse to annex land Israel took in a 1967 war and deny them a viable state under a US-backed “road map” peace plan, for the barrier often curves well into the West Bank to take in larger settlement blocs.In a precedent-setting June 30 ruling, the High Court said Israel had a right to erect a barrier for security reasons on territory it considers “disputed”, but ordered a 30 km segment moved to alleviate hardships for Palestinian villages.It has since ordered construction suspended on other sections subject to appeals by Palestinian inhabitants.A defence ministry spokesman said the guidelines were not yet finalised but added: “In about two weeks there will be replacement plans for sections rejected by the High Court”.Sharon denounced Friday’s World Court opinion calling for the barrier to be torn down and follow-up UN action to bring this about as “one-sided and politically motivated”.But he said the High Court order would be heeded, rejecting rightist demands that it be circumvented with legislation.Several settlements earmarked to be on Israel’s side of the barrier, a third of whose projected 730 km length has been built, would end up on the other side as a result of the changes, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said.Sharon intends to hold on to some West Bank settlement blocs while evacuating all 7 500 settlers from smaller, vulnerable enclaves in Gaza next year under a plan to “disengage” from conflict with Palestinians in revolt for a state since 2000.His plan provoked defections by far-right allies that cost him his parliamentary majority.On Monday Sharon agreed with veteran opposition leader Shimon Peres to strive for a “unity” coalition to keep the Gaza withdrawal blueprint on track.The leadership of Peres’ centre-left Labour party planned a vote yesterday to launch formal coalition negotiations with Likud, a prospect fiercely opposed by hawks in Sharon’s party.- Nampa-ReutersTwo senior US security envoys were to see prime minister Ariel Sharon shortly about the repercussions of the World Court decision, unauthorised Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank, and his plan to withdraw settlers from occupied Gaza.An Israeli security source said redrafted defence ministry guidelines for the barrier – a 100 metre wide swathe of razor-fringed fencing and concrete walls – would have it run “as close as possible” to the Israeli-West Bank boundary.The barrier henceforth should not isolate nearby Palestinian farmers from olive and citrus groves or maroon villages in enclaves without free access to essential services like schools and hospitals, markets and West Bank cities, the source said.”These are the new guidelines the defence ministry intends to operate with.We are obeying our own High Court, not The Hague (World Court),” he said.”But it’s also a way of deflecting future international pressure on us (to tear down the barrier).It’s an important step after The Hague.”Sharon cited a bomb that killed a woman at a bus stop on Monday as further proof of the need to keep building the barrier Israel bills as its bulwark against Palestinian militants infiltrating from the West Bank.Palestinians condemn it as a ruse to annex land Israel took in a 1967 war and deny them a viable state under a US-backed “road map” peace plan, for the barrier often curves well into the West Bank to take in larger settlement blocs.In a precedent-setting June 30 ruling, the High Court said Israel had a right to erect a barrier for security reasons on territory it considers “disputed”, but ordered a 30 km segment moved to alleviate hardships for Palestinian villages.It has since ordered construction suspended on other sections subject to appeals by Palestinian inhabitants.A defence ministry spokesman said the guidelines were not yet finalised but added: “In about two weeks there will be replacement plans for sections rejected by the High Court”.Sharon denounced Friday’s World Court opinion calling for the barrier to be torn down and follow-up UN action to bring this about as “one-sided and politically motivated”.But he said the High Court order would be heeded, rejecting rightist demands that it be circumvented with legislation.Several settlements earmarked to be on Israel’s side of the barrier, a third of whose projected 730 km length has been built, would end up on the other side as a result of the changes, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said.Sharon intends to hold on to some West Bank settlement blocs while evacuating all 7 500 settlers from smaller, vulnerable enclaves in Gaza next year under a plan to “disengage” from conflict with Palestinians in revolt for a state since 2000.His plan provoked defections by far-right allies that cost him his parliamentary majority.On Monday Sharon agreed with veteran opposition leader Shimon Peres to strive for a “unity” coalition to keep the Gaza withdrawal blueprint on track.The leadership of Peres’ centre-left Labour party planned a vote yesterday to launch formal coalition negotiations with Likud, a prospect fiercely opposed by hawks in Sharon’s party.- Nampa-Reuters