News Brief07:10 AM

(IsraelNN.com) According to the Jerusalem Post, a construction freeze on the Judea and Samaria security barrier has been in place since early July.  Officials said the government has told contractors not to begin work on the barrier in the Hevron hills despite signed contracts.

Only 48 kilometers of the barrier were completed so far this year, as opposed to 102 kilometers in 2006.  Some officials say the problem is a lack of funding, although sources in the Prime Minister’s Office say NIS 500 million remains in this year’s Defense Ministry budget for the barrier.  Officials in the PMO and Defense Ministry have not explained the delay.