Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered the controversial West Bank fence to be shortened by more than 100 miles so that it doesn’t go as deep as originally planned into Palestinian territory, officials said yesterday.
The move came on the eve of a meeting today between Sharon and a group of emissaries from President Bush – and appeared aimed at easing American concerns over the fence, which Palestinians claim is an Israeli land grab.
The fence – a barrier meant to keep Palestinian terrorists out of Israel – had been planned to follow a 450-mile route.
Sharon’s alterations would cut 115 miles from the fence – essentially bringing it closer to the boundary between Israel and the West Bank.
The change would leave the large Israeli settlement of Ariel on the Palestinian side of the fence, Israeli TV reported last night.
It would also bypass three Palestinian towns south of Bethlehem, allowing them to remain connected to the rest of the West Bank.
Sharon’s office said he had asked for adjustments in the route of the fence to reduce friction with Palestinians, but the meeting with the American envoys was clearly behind the timing of the order.
The prime minister is expected to make a trip to Washington later this month to meet with Bush, hoping to win American support for his plan for a unilateral pullout from the Gaza Strip.
Today’s meeting between Sharon and U.S. officials is intended to find a basis for winning Bush’s support for Sharon’s disengagement plan.