Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu, and Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz will have to soon determine the budget needed to complete the separation fence. Changes in the original route of the fence have raised its cost beyond expectations. The cabinet yesterday revised the route of the separation fence in a 20:1 vote, with one abstention, following a High Court of Justice ruling.
The government was informed that the Ministries of Finance and Defense had agreed to allocate NIS 5.8 billion for the separation fence, or NIS 8.8 million per kilometer. The Ministry of Finance allocates NIS 105 million a month for building the fence. A 15% rise in costs will boost the budget for the fence to over NIS 6.6 billion.
The separation fence extends 660 kilometers from Tirat Zvi in the north to Har Hebron in the south. 213 kilometers between Tirat Zvi and Elkana in the north, and along the Jerusalem envelope, are already operational. Another 130 kilometers between Elkana and Jerusalem, and in the Lachish area in the south, are under construction. Construction will soon begin on an additional 65 kilometers in three sections: around Bir Naballah, north of Jerusalem; in south Har Hebron, in the south; and around Ariel in the north.
55 petitions to stop further construction of the separation fence have been filed with the High Court of Justice. The petitions have delayed construction of 52 kilometers of the fence. The justice system has delayed construction of an additional 92 kilometers of the fence, until the High Court of Justice rules on the petitions.
29 transit points will be built in the separation fence, nine of which will become operational within a month. A regime of certificates and entry permits into Israeli territory will apply at the transit points.
Staff work for the separation fence in the western Samaria, Maaleh Edumim and Judean Desert area east of Jerusalem has not been completed. These areas involve unresolved security, civilian, and legal issues.
Two fences will connect Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, to the rest of the separation fence. One fence will be a security fence east of the settlements. Palestinians will able to enter Israel through a fence west of the settlements, close to the Green Line. A number of ministers, led by Netanyahu, want to hold another cabinet meeting to discuss the revised route of the security fence, due to its proximity to the Green Line.
Around the same time as the withdrawal from Gaza, the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip will be upgraded, at a high cost. The government and Ministry of Finance hope that the US will help finance this upgrade.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on February 21, 2005