Palestinian Chairman Abbas sharply raps Israel’s Jerusalem defense barrier decision

DEBKAfile Intelligence

July 10, 2005, 11:49 PM (GMT+02:00)

Sunday, July 10, the Israeli government set a September deadline for finishing the long-stalled security fence designed to protect Jerusalem from terrorist attack.

The finalized route leaves 55,000 Arab Jerusalem residents with Israeli ID on the other side, including Palestinians living in the Shuafat refugee camp. Twelve crossing points will be cut in the barrier to allow their transit back and forth. The Palestinian Authority chairman warns that the route could bring Palestinian-Israeli relations to an end and will serve neither peace nor Israeli security.