Israel has approved the construction of the next phase of a vast "security barrier" in the West Bank despite international criticism that it cuts deep intoPalestinian territory and undermines peace moves.
Political sources said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cabinet gave the go-ahead but, seeking to soothe US concerns about further impingement on Palestinian land, decided to leave a gap in the barrier for now near the sprawling Jewish settlement of Ariel.
Israel says the elaborate system of electronic fencing and concrete walls under construction is meant to keep out Palestinian suicide bombers.
Palestinians call it a "new Berlin Wall" effectively annexing occupied territory they seek for a state. Washington fears the barrier could thwart the creation of a viable Palestinian state with contiguous terrain in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as envisaged by its four-month-old "road map" peace plan, which has been stalled by persistent bloodshed.
US officials want the fence to adhere to Israel's recognized pre-1967 borders, not veer well inside the West Bank to shield settlements. The Israeli government has said the barrier is only a tactical security measure that does not pre-configure borders.