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Israeli Plan To “Envelope” East Jerusalem
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| Israel tightens its Iron fist over Palestinians in East Jeurusalem |
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, Jan. 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies)- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved Tuesday plans for increasing security for Jerusalem and the "seam line" between Israel and the occupied Palestinian terretories, presented to him by Israeli National Security Council Major General Uzi Dayan, news agencies reported.
Sharon said he considered the plan, known as "enveloping Jerusalem," to be "an essential element in securing Jerusalem," and ordered the necessary changes to the plan be made and presented soon before the security cabinet for budget approval, Israeli daily newspaper, Ha’aretz reported.
The controversial plan to tighten security around Jerusalem came after a Palestinian woman-activist blew herself up Sunday in the western part of the city killing one and injuring more than 50.
The Israeli plan reported to include 11km wall along Armistice Line (separating East and West Jerusalem), roadblocks and security cameras.
The plan would change the legal status of some of the Arab neighborhoods situated in the Palestinian Authority's Area B, Egyptian political analyst, Galal El-Din Ezz told IslamOnline on Tuesday.
Arab villages to be included are Abu-Dis, Anata, Hizma, and Beit Ichsa, Israel Radio reported.
Some members of the Israeli Government oppose the plan because it means a re-division of the city
Israeli police sources Tuesday, January 29, expressed skepticism that the Israeli government would agree to fund the plan. "These plans come up for discussion after every wave of attacks (resistance operations), but in practice nothing happens," Ha’aretz quoted one senior police officer as saying.
The plan was initially presented to the Israeli cabinet some time ago, but had not received serious attention, both for budgetary and for political reasons.
The Israeli calls for the construction of an 11-kilometer wall along the seam line between East and West Jerusalem, the establishment of roadblocks between the eastern and western parts of the city, the installation of video cameras along the seam line, the creation of five Border Police units to patrol the seam line and the introduction of new identification technologies such as thermal sensors and night-vision equipment.
Right-wing leaders, including Public Security Minister, Uzi Landau and Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, made clear Tuesday that no wall or fence would be built along the seam line.
Landau denied media reports that the plan would mean a "wall" or any "re-division" of the city, whose mainly Arab eastern sector was occupied by Israel in the 1967 war.
"[The plan] aims, on the one hand, to isolate the Arab inhabitants of Judea and Samaria (Israel's name for the occupied West Bank) by defensive obstacles, and on the other to pursue the fight against terrorists (Israel’s notion of Palestinian resistance activists) on the other side of the obstacles," BBC quoted Landau as saying.
Palestinians said that any separation would not work.
“Any kind of security separation will lead to more deterioration and insecurity for the Israelis and for the Palestinians,” said Ahmad Abdel-Rahman, an aide to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, news agencies reported.
Israeli police, from its side, insist that the plan is not a redivision of the capital, but merely a way of improving the security situation in the city. They also say that without such a far-reaching change in the security concept governing Jerusalem, there will be no significant improvement in the personal security for its residents.
Israel claims the whole city as its "eternal, undivided" capital, while East Jerusalem is part of Palestinian and Arab lands occupied by Israel in 1967 war. Therefore, such lands (still under Israeli occupation) are subject to UN Security Councel Resolution 242, demanding Israel’s withdrawal.
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