JERUSALEM, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) --
Israel began construction of a section of the separation fence in the southern
West Bank on Sunday, five days after Palestinian suicide bombers carried out an
attack from the area, local newspaper Haaretz reported.
Israeli security officials confirmed that the construction
work started on a 30-km stretch of barrier southwest of
Hebron.
But the officials, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said the work wasn't related to last week's attack in Beersheva, in
which Hamas suicide bombers from Hebron killed 16 people.
The bombing has put pressure on the Israeli government to
speedup construction, which was delayed by a series of legal
challenges.
The barrier is about one-third complete and
hasn't reached the Beersheva area yet. After last week's attack, local officials
said they had warned the government for several months that their area was
vulnerable to attack.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat on Sunday
condemned the latest construction.
"This action totally destroys the roadmap," he said, referring
to a US-backed peace plan meant to bring about an independent Palestinian state
next year. Enditem |
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