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CNN Live Today
Israel Approves Next Phase of Barrier
Aired October 01, 2003 - 10:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: To the Middle East now. Israel's cabinet has approved the extension of a controversial security barrier that would encompass Jewish settlements in West Bank. Palestinians call it a land grab. Regardless, the Israeli move could also strain relations with Washington.
Let's go to the West Bank now, where CNN's Jerrold Kessel is standing by.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
And this is called a wall, a fence, security barrier, an obstacle to peace. Land grab or pure security? Whichever way you look at it, it's certainly a formidable obstacle that the Israelis have been throwing up. You have one example of this fence at this particular point with all of its electronic sensors and a very elaborate obstacle.
But I think if we look at the landscape here, you'll be able to get some idea of why today's decision was so controversial. The Israelis already built -- as we see here, this is around the Palestinian town of Qalqilia, but beyond us, on the West Bank. They've already built about a hundred miles of the fence. And it's not as controversial because even though as we look down, we see some of it is a very elaborate wall, maybe 30 feet high, with those concrete blocks that you see on the other side of Qalqilia, guarding one of Israel's main highways and the Israel's cities beyond, which Israel say is important because it's to protect and to stop the suicide bombers and other militants trying to cross into Israeli cities.
Basically, until now, the fence has been built, as we see from the sun, away there in the West, on a north to south route, which means that it runs more or less along the Israel West Bank border. Some places it is slightly within the West Bank, but what this new decision today has done is changed the contours because the Israelis say just like that we're standing on which runs around Qalqilia and heads in an easterly direction, they are going to build, at least in the future, the fence projecting into the West Bank, to encompass some of the major settlement towns and the settlements, the large Jewish settlement on the West Bank and that gives added weight to that Palestinian argument that it is a question of land grab and it is not a question of protecting Israel or the security of the Israeli citizens.
The Israelis argue they need to protect the settlement, but what they've done to try to obviate the obvious criticism that they've had from Washington or the international community to say they're going to only begin to build the fence around the settlements, but they won't connect it to the main settlement, to the main fence until several months down the line. That is they hope can convince Washington that there's justification in moving all of the way up to those settlements, but it certainly is a controversial decision that's bound to reverberate all over -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jerrold, a very interesting picture there. Thanks for showing that to us. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 1, 2003 - 10:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: To the Middle East now. Israel's cabinet has approved the extension of a controversial security barrier that would encompass Jewish settlements in West Bank. Palestinians call it a land grab. Regardless, the Israeli move could also strain relations with Washington.
Let's go to the West Bank now, where CNN's Jerrold Kessel is standing by.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
And this is called a wall, a fence, security barrier, an obstacle to peace. Land grab or pure security? Whichever way you look at it, it's certainly a formidable obstacle that the Israelis have been throwing up. You have one example of this fence at this particular point with all of its electronic sensors and a very elaborate obstacle.
But I think if we look at the landscape here, you'll be able to get some idea of why today's decision was so controversial. The Israelis already built -- as we see here, this is around the Palestinian town of Qalqilia, but beyond us, on the West Bank. They've already built about a hundred miles of the fence. And it's not as controversial because even though as we look down, we see some of it is a very elaborate wall, maybe 30 feet high, with those concrete blocks that you see on the other side of Qalqilia, guarding one of Israel's main highways and the Israel's cities beyond, which Israel say is important because it's to protect and to stop the suicide bombers and other militants trying to cross into Israeli cities.
Basically, until now, the fence has been built, as we see from the sun, away there in the West, on a north to south route, which means that it runs more or less along the Israel West Bank border. Some places it is slightly within the West Bank, but what this new decision today has done is changed the contours because the Israelis say just like that we're standing on which runs around Qalqilia and heads in an easterly direction, they are going to build, at least in the future, the fence projecting into the West Bank, to encompass some of the major settlement towns and the settlements, the large Jewish settlement on the West Bank and that gives added weight to that Palestinian argument that it is a question of land grab and it is not a question of protecting Israel or the security of the Israeli citizens.
The Israelis argue they need to protect the settlement, but what they've done to try to obviate the obvious criticism that they've had from Washington or the international community to say they're going to only begin to build the fence around the settlements, but they won't connect it to the main settlement, to the main fence until several months down the line. That is they hope can convince Washington that there's justification in moving all of the way up to those settlements, but it certainly is a controversial decision that's bound to reverberate all over -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jerrold, a very interesting picture there. Thanks for showing that to us. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
