The Cabinet voted yesterday to approve the construction of the controversial partition fence between PA areas and the rest of Israel - but its exact route has not yet been determined. Prime Minister Sharon specified that government ministers still have a week in which to propose changes to the currently-planned route, and that he and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer would make the final decisions.
Right-wing ministers are largely against any form of a partition, but voted in favor yesterday in the hope that their proposed changes will be accepted. Minister Effie Eitam (NRP), speaking with Arutz-7 today, expressed satisfaction with the fact that the Cabinet voted to recognize the Jordan Valley area as Israel\'s eastern security zone:
\"This is about a quarter of all Yesha, and the government termed it a zone of \'crucial national interests.\' It got Shimon Peres very upset... In addition, there was recognition of the idea of a western security zone: We think that in the framework of our ongoing offensive activity throughout all areas of Yesha, it\'s important to have a defensive area inside as well. We object to this zone running along the Green Line [the ceasefire line of 1948 between Israel and Jordanian-held territory] as this line is only a political demarcation with nothing to do with security aspects. We also object to its being contiguous… I, personally, am also against the whole idea of a fence, as we have no way of protecting it from the hundreds of Arabs who will simply dismantle it, and there are no open-fire orders to prevent them from approaching it...\"
The first stage of the fence/wall, as currently outlined, runs southwest from the northern tip of the Shomron until just east of Petach Tikvah. The planned route runs roughly along the Green Line, with small adjustments to include Jewish communities such as Shaked, Reihan, Katzir, Tzur Natan, Kokhav Ya\'ir, Oranit, and Alfei Menashe. \"We will try to get as many changes in this route as we can,\" Eitam said, referring to a new route formulated by MKs Uri Ariel and Eli Cohen that he plans to submit to Prime Minister Sharon.
Eitam continued,
\"The main test of whether we will be able to remain in the government, however, is not necessarily the precise route of the partition, but whether or not our government takes a strong stand against a proposed PA state. We know that [US President] Bush is about to make a speech, and if it includes clear statements about the establishment of a PA state, we will demand that Sharon take a clear stand against it. American support for a PA state, together with the physical trappings of such in the form of a wall, is a combination that will definitely put a big question mark on our future in the government.\"
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who was the only government minister to vote against the partition yesterday, object to it for totally different reasons. He says that placing the wall east of the Green Line essentially means the confiscation of PA areas - a negative development from his standpoint. Peres even threatened to resign from the government under such circumstances, though Sharon told him that he does not plan to \"give up on anyone\" from his government. The exact and final placing of the fence will be jointly determined by Sharon and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer, subject to approval by the Ministerial Committee on National Security or the Cabinet.
Right-wing ministers are largely against any form of a partition, but voted in favor yesterday in the hope that their proposed changes will be accepted. Minister Effie Eitam (NRP), speaking with Arutz-7 today, expressed satisfaction with the fact that the Cabinet voted to recognize the Jordan Valley area as Israel\'s eastern security zone:
\"This is about a quarter of all Yesha, and the government termed it a zone of \'crucial national interests.\' It got Shimon Peres very upset... In addition, there was recognition of the idea of a western security zone: We think that in the framework of our ongoing offensive activity throughout all areas of Yesha, it\'s important to have a defensive area inside as well. We object to this zone running along the Green Line [the ceasefire line of 1948 between Israel and Jordanian-held territory] as this line is only a political demarcation with nothing to do with security aspects. We also object to its being contiguous… I, personally, am also against the whole idea of a fence, as we have no way of protecting it from the hundreds of Arabs who will simply dismantle it, and there are no open-fire orders to prevent them from approaching it...\"
The first stage of the fence/wall, as currently outlined, runs southwest from the northern tip of the Shomron until just east of Petach Tikvah. The planned route runs roughly along the Green Line, with small adjustments to include Jewish communities such as Shaked, Reihan, Katzir, Tzur Natan, Kokhav Ya\'ir, Oranit, and Alfei Menashe. \"We will try to get as many changes in this route as we can,\" Eitam said, referring to a new route formulated by MKs Uri Ariel and Eli Cohen that he plans to submit to Prime Minister Sharon.
Eitam continued,
\"The main test of whether we will be able to remain in the government, however, is not necessarily the precise route of the partition, but whether or not our government takes a strong stand against a proposed PA state. We know that [US President] Bush is about to make a speech, and if it includes clear statements about the establishment of a PA state, we will demand that Sharon take a clear stand against it. American support for a PA state, together with the physical trappings of such in the form of a wall, is a combination that will definitely put a big question mark on our future in the government.\"
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who was the only government minister to vote against the partition yesterday, object to it for totally different reasons. He says that placing the wall east of the Green Line essentially means the confiscation of PA areas - a negative development from his standpoint. Peres even threatened to resign from the government under such circumstances, though Sharon told him that he does not plan to \"give up on anyone\" from his government. The exact and final placing of the fence will be jointly determined by Sharon and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer, subject to approval by the Ministerial Committee on National Security or the Cabinet.