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Opposing views of West Bank fence
From Jerrold Kessel
BAKA AL-SHARKIYEH, West Bank (CNN) -- Israelis say the huge fence system being built along their border with the West Bank will give them more security. Palestinians say the construction of the barrier system will take some of their land. At one point along the fence route, the high-rises of Tel Aviv can be seen 20 miles (32 kilometers) away. Preventing bombers from reaching Tel Aviv and other cities is the single biggest reason for building the fence, according to Israel. By the end of this year, 120 miles (193 kilometers) will be completed, covering roughly a third of Israel's winding border with the West Bank. Eventually, the fence will stretch 217 miles (350 kilometers) at an estimated cost of $200 million. When finished, the barrier will be a combination of fences, walls, ditches, patrol roads and electronic surveillance devices. A man named Shlomo is in charge of building one 10-mile stretch of the fence. He lives not far from the West Bank in a Israeli town that has often been the target of Palestinian attacks. "The fence is good to separate us. We are here, they are over there. That will help security," said Shlomo."Had we done it years ago many lives would have been saved." Palestinians see things entirely differently. "Arab land, this is Arab land,'" chanted demonstrators at one protest. Gaza already is surrounded by a security fence separated by a buffer zone where Palestinians are not allowed to enter. Palestinians, 70 percent of whom live on less than $2 a day, often attempt to cut or climb the Gaza fence to work in Israel, a Palestinian security official said. Taysir Harashe is the mayor of the small village of Kafien whose lands will be cut off by the West Bank fence under construction. "If they are afraid and they are worried about their security, we can understand putting this fence on the border to defend them," said Harashe. "But, putting the fence three kilometers inside – that is not security, that is taking the land." Palestinians say 30,000 villagers soon will find themselves on the wrong side of the fence, the lands of many more will be lost. They also say that when the fence is extended farther south, tens of thousands more people will be subject to de facto annexation. Israelis argue that where they are building the fence is solely determined by topography and security . But the route has also been drawn to include some settlements inside the West Bank but are close to the Israeli border. The route of the fence triggered a row between U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and the Israeli government, with Rice asking the Israeli leadership to reconsider the route. Some peacemakers worry that just as more suicide bombers would knock the peace initiative off its course, the fence -- meant to stop the bombers -- could itself be a pitfall on the new Mideast road map. Palestinians look to the United States to bring pressure. Should that happen, it could have Israel deciding whether the fence or Washington's support provides greater security.
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