EU demands halt to West Bank fence

Catholic New Times, Dec 14, 2003

BRUSSELS -- The European Union (EU) has called on Israel to stop building its security barrier inside the Palestinian territories claiming it is undermining efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict.

There is little doubt relations between the EU and Israel have already been strained and it was hoped the annual visit to Brussels by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom might help ease the tension.

But the EU leadership told him the security fence along the West Bank, which Israel claims is there to keep out suicide bombers, should be roiled back immediately.

The EU said the fence does little more than cause great humanitarian and economic hardship to Palestinians. In its strongly worded statement, the EU also condemned Palestinian suicide attacks but said the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank was only inflaming an already volatile situation.