ISRAEL: The Israeli cabinet yesterday approved the final route of the half-built separation barrier that runs through Jerusalem.
This was despite strong Palestinian objections that the move prejudices the outcome of final status talks with Israel because it cuts off east Jerusalem, which they claim as a future capital, from the West Bank hinterland.
The barrier, which Israel says it is building to prevent suicide bombers from entering its cities, will leave four Arab villages, with a total population of 55,000 residents, cut off from the city.
The route will also likely ensure that Ma'aleh Adumim - the largest West Bank settlement with almost 30,000 residents - will be on the Jerusalem side of the barrier.
Of Jerusalem's 750,000 residents, Palestinians make up 230,000. They are permanent residents and are issued with blue Israeli identity cards, which affords them both freedom of movement and eligibility for Israeli social and health services.
Since the Israeli services are far superior to those offered by the Palestinian Authority, Palestinians with blue identity cards have been clamouring to get back into east Jerusalem since it became clear that the barrier would be constructed.
Included among the 55,000 Palestinian residents are over 3,000 students who will have to pass through the 60-kilometre barrier on a daily basis to get to their schools. To facilitate movement, the government said it would build 12 gates in the barrier.
To cater for the needs of those Palestinians cut off from the city by the barrier, the government said it would also bus students from one side to the other, would encourage hospitals in Arab east Jerusalem to open branches on the West Bank side of the fence and would also build state welfare offices there.
The timing of yesterday's decision cannot be divorced from the upcoming Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. With the international community firmly backing prime minister Ariel Sharon's planned pull-out - scheduled for mid-August - Israeli leaders believe that the decision will pass without international condemnation or pressure.
Israel has always insisted that the barrier is temporary and that it is driven by security needs. "We are not moving the fence for enjoyment or our pleasure, but because there are security concerns of the highest level," said vice-premier Ehud Olmert, who is a former mayor of Jerusalem.
Since Israel started building the barrier - ultimately it is planned to run the full length of the West Bank - Palestinian leaders have argued that it is a land-grab and is aimed at ensuring they will never be able to establish a viable state. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said Israel was placing more obstacles in the path to peace.