President Moshe Katzav added his voice this morning to the chorus calling for a military fence separating between Israeli and Palestinian Authority areas. \"It is intolerably easy for terrorists to cross into [pre-1967] Israel, and this must be stopped.\" Katzav said that the fence need not compromise the diplomatic negotiations, and \"if we reach an agreement with the Palestinians, we can always retreat westwards…\"
Public Security Minister Uzi Landau said today that the idea, \"expressed by MK Chaim Ramon, of a fence effecting a total separation between us and the Arabs - \'we\'re here and they\'re there\' - is total nonsense. They will be able to climb over it, break it down, shoot katyushas over it, or whatever. What I suggest is a dividing line made of various obstacles and barriers, but our forces will remain on the other side as well...\"
The National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu party also has an opinion on the matter, and recommends the construction of a fence around Arab population centers in Judea and Samaria. The party submitted the idea to Prime Minister Sharon two months ago, and has now raised the matter once again. The party\'s MKs held a meeting today at the Sbarro restaurant, at and near the site of the four recent Jerusalem attacks. MK Tzvi Hendel explained the idea today:
\"If we have not yet decided to dismantle the PA, then it\'s time to fence in all the Areas A. [Do I fear that the fence will become permanent and will be the beginning of a process that will be hard to turn back? No, because] if the proper steps to liquidate terrorism aren\'t being taken, then at least let\'s try to prevent the fence from being placed on the Green Line [thus effectively giving over all of Yesha to the PA]. It would be better to put the fence around Area A - where are most of the Arabs, most of the terrorists, most of those who carry arms, and where the Palestinian Authority still - unfortunately - has security control.\"
Public Security Minister Uzi Landau said today that the idea, \"expressed by MK Chaim Ramon, of a fence effecting a total separation between us and the Arabs - \'we\'re here and they\'re there\' - is total nonsense. They will be able to climb over it, break it down, shoot katyushas over it, or whatever. What I suggest is a dividing line made of various obstacles and barriers, but our forces will remain on the other side as well...\"
The National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu party also has an opinion on the matter, and recommends the construction of a fence around Arab population centers in Judea and Samaria. The party submitted the idea to Prime Minister Sharon two months ago, and has now raised the matter once again. The party\'s MKs held a meeting today at the Sbarro restaurant, at and near the site of the four recent Jerusalem attacks. MK Tzvi Hendel explained the idea today:
\"If we have not yet decided to dismantle the PA, then it\'s time to fence in all the Areas A. [Do I fear that the fence will become permanent and will be the beginning of a process that will be hard to turn back? No, because] if the proper steps to liquidate terrorism aren\'t being taken, then at least let\'s try to prevent the fence from being placed on the Green Line [thus effectively giving over all of Yesha to the PA]. It would be better to put the fence around Area A - where are most of the Arabs, most of the terrorists, most of those who carry arms, and where the Palestinian Authority still - unfortunately - has security control.\"