- News>
- World
Israel should halt construction of wall to keep out bombers
United Nations, June 14: Israel should halt construction of the wall it is building to keep suicide bombers and terrorists from entering the country because of its potentially devastating impact on the Palestinian people and the peace process, a senior UN official said.
United Nations, June 14: Israel should halt
construction of the wall it is building to keep suicide
bombers and terrorists from entering the country because of
its potentially devastating impact on the Palestinian people
and the peace process, a senior UN official said.
"Suspending construction of the wall would contribute to
the overall effort to improve security and humanitarian
conditions and restart the political process,"
undersecretary-general for political affairs Kieran
Prendergast told the security council yesterday.
Israel hopes the fence, and orders to shoot anyone who
tries to cross it, will keep out suicide bombers. Palestinians
say the wall, which frequently weaves into the west bank, is a
way of annexing land while delaying a peace deal that would
set borders of a Palestinian state.
The Israeli government's goal is to completely cut
Israel off from the west bank with a fence about 600
kilometers long -although no one can say how long it will
take. Only about 32 kilometers are finished, and an additional
160 kilometers partly built.
Prendergast noted that work began before the so-called
"road map" to peace was accepted by the Israelis and
Palestinians. As part of the plan, Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas has pledged to disarm violent Palestinian groups
and to work to end terrorism -though there have been major new
attacks this week.
Bureau Report
Bureau Report