A controversial security fence under construction in the West Bank is a "necessity," a senior Israeli official insisted yesterday after US President George W. Bush described it as a "problem" in landmark talks with Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas.
"The building of this security fence has no political connotations. It's a necessity dictated by the security imperative of preventing Palestinian suicide bombings against Israel," the official said, asking not to be named.
Bush had criticized the fence, which Israel started building in June last year, in a joint news conference with Abbas in the White House Rose Garden late on Friday.
"I think the wall is a problem, and I have discussed this with [Israeli Prime Minister] Ariel Sharon," he said.
"It is very difficult to develop confidence between the Palestinians and the Israelis ... with a wall snaking through the West Bank," Bush said.
The Israeli official took issue with Bush's use of the word "wall" even though the barrier does take that form for part of its length.
"It is a shame that President Bush did not use the correct term security fence," the official said.
"Israel is not constructing a wall -- it's the Palestinians who use that term in a bid to persuade the world it's some sort of Berlin Wall.
"This fence is a necessity and not a choice. Mr Sharon will explain that to President Bush when he meets him" in the White House on Tuesday, the official said, noting that in the past the US leader had "always championed Israel's right to defend itself."
Eventually expected to snake some 900km along the West Bank, the security fence has infuriated Palestinians as it leaves large swathes of the territory on the Israeli side and is seen as a bid to preempt negotiations on the final borders of the Palestinian state promised by 2005 under a US-backed peace roadmap.
The fence, which incorporates a network of earthworks, trenches and patrol roads, also cuts a whole string of Palestinian communities in two.
Sharon promised to review the impact on ordinary Palestinians as part of a series of measures announced just hours before Bush's talks with Abbas.
The prime minister "will consider ways to reduce, by as much as possible, infringements by the security fence on the Palestinian populations daily lives," his office said.
Meanwhile, Sharon is to ask his cabinet today to approve the release of 100 jailed members of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, public radio said.
Sharon hopes ministers will give their green light before he leaves for the US today, so that he can convince Washington he is serious about building confidence in the fledgling peace process and bolstering the position of Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas, the radio said.
The 100 Hamas and Islamic Jihad members slated for release have not been involved in attacks that claimed Israeli victims, the radio added.
The question of Palestinian prisoners has proved a major stumbling block in efforts to advance the roadmap.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the