SHARON APPROVES NEW FENCE ROUTE

Sharon approves new fence route
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon and officials from the Defense Ministry and Justice Ministry Wednesday to discuss changes in the route of the West Bank security fence. Sharon approved the new route of the security fence that hugs the Green Line in the West Bank and the southern region. According to the route, Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel and Gush Etzion would remain on the Israeli side of the fence.

The new route will be brought to the government for approval only once the defense establishment finishes compiling its recommendation for all parts of the fence. Sharon instructed Defense Ministry officials not to make changes on the ground that may necessitate a government approval. The new route was drawn in accordance with a chain of High Court
decisions that call for minimal disruption to Palestinian life as a result of the fence's construction. Many Israeli settlements are therefore scheduled to be left on the eastern side of the fence.

Sharon agreed to move the fence's route south in the Hebron Hills area, leaving the communities of Sussia, Carmel and Ma'on outside the fence. The three settlements will be encircled by internal fences, as will the routes leading to them.