Israelis To Extend Fence Line [View All]

Israelis To Extend Fence Line
Decisions Delayed on Joining All Parts of West Bank Project
By John Ward Anderson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, October 2, 2003; Page A01


JERUSALEM, Oct. 1 -- Israel's cabinet agreed today to expand a fence project to keep Palestinians out of Israel, approving new construction in several areas deep inside the West Bank.

The cabinet deferred decisions, however, about connecting several lengths of the fence, effectively leaving it with large gaps, in response to U.S. criticism. Israeli officials said it would be several months before they make a decision on whether to close those gaps.

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The United States has criticized the fence, saying it will complicate efforts to create a viable Palestinian state and negotiate a cease-fire to end the three-year-old intifada against Israel's continuing occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. U.S. officials have threatened to reduce Israeli loan guarantees if the fence veers too far into the West Bank.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30971-2003Oct1.html