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"The plan to complete the fence in the Jerusalem area by the end of the year is still valid, but we are facing many statutory problems," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
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| By Ellis Shuman May 18, 2004 |
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Construction of the security fence is being held up indefinitely by court orders and insufficient manpower, the Ministry of Defense said last week. Senior security officials said the delay in the barrier's construction is a "gamble on human lives," and warned that it could enable Palestinian terrorists to infiltrate into Israel.
"The plan to complete the fence in the Jerusalem area by the end of the year is still valid, but we are facing many statutory problems due to High Court of Justice appeals preventing construction in many different places," a statement issued by the ministry said.
Last week, High Court of Justice President Aharon Barak said that he would issue a ruling on one section of the fence north of Jerusalem "by the end of the year." Security officials said the many petitions presented to the court by Palestinian villagers and their Israeli supporters could undermine the argument that the fence is essentially a security barrier.
"If the court does not see the fence as a security barrier, which protects life, it would be a major impediment to the project," a senior army officer told Haaretz.
Maariv reported today that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered a number of emergency meetings to discuss the implications of the court's freeze on fence construction. According to the ministry's original timetable, construction of the fence between Elkana and Jerusalem was due to be completed by the end of 2004.
"The entire country thinks that the fence is now being constructed, but in fact, on a stretch of no less than 50 kilometers (31 miles), there is no work being done whatsoever," security officials told Maariv. "The High Court has put an end to the work," they said.
According to the Defense Ministry statement, contractors are presently at work only on a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) stretch of the planned 64-kilometer (40 mile) fence around the capital. Only 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the fence has been completed since work began nearly two years ago.
Most of the petitions presented to the High Court relate to the fence's planned construction between Modiin and northern Jerusalem. Clashes and demonstrations have taken place near the Palestinian village of Biddu and elsewhere, and residents of Mevesseret Zion added their names to those of their Palestinian neighbors in a joint petition to alter the fence's route.
The Ministry of Justice has also delayed construction of the fence north of Jerusalem due to the fear that its original route would totally encompass a number of Palestinian villages, something which would not be approved by the High Court, Maariv reported.
In addition to the legal wrangling, the delay of the fence's construction is also due to insufficient manpower, the Jerusalem Post reported. At present, only four contractors are at work in the Jerusalem area.
"In the coming days," two additional contractors are slated to begin work, the Defense Ministry statement said.
In response to international and local pressure, Israel has shortened the length of the security fence and West Bank communities such as Ariel and Kedumim are not being included as originally planned.
Construction of the fence on Jerusalem's eastern periphery is still pending final authorization of its route. Construction of the fence south from Jerusalem towards Moshav Shomria has been delayed due to objections by land owners.
"Based on the work on the ground it seems unlikely that the construction of the fence around Jerusalem will be completed for years," Marc Luria, a spokesman for the pro-fence group, Security Fence for Israel, told the Jerusalem Post.
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