Colin Powell Took Strong Stance on Israel's "Apartheid" Fence

Read Here full Report by BARRY SCHWEID (THe Guardian UK) August 8, 2003

Read HERE Full report by Amiram Barkatin on World Jewish Congress President Bronfman's urging Bush to oppose Israel's "apartheid" fence.

Israel's construction of the security fence in the West Bank is complicated and potentially problematic, because it undermines confidence building measures, the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), Edgar Bronfman, wrote in a letter to President Bush prior to the visit of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington. In the letter, co-signed by former under-secretary of State, Lawrence Eagleburger, Bronfman called on President Bush to "urge both sides to take the necessary steps to create stability and momentum in the peace process."

Colin Powell said Thursday the Bush administration would abide by congressional provisions for reducing U.S. aid to Israel for settlement activity on the West Bank.

"We have concerns about that fence,'' Powell said. "We have problems with it.''

His remarks indicated the administration might take punitive steps unless Israel revises the project.

But more than 30 members of Congress have told President Bush in a letter that the United States should support the effort to avert terrorist attacks.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas complained last month to Bush at the White House that the fence interferes with the lives of Palestinians.

On the fence, Powell echoed Palestinian objections to the project. "All of us put fences up when we feel a need for a fence on our property,'' he said. "And we try to do it in a way that does not prejudice anyone else's property or anyone else's rights.''

The secretary said there is a problem when the fence goes BEYOND Israel's border before the 1967 war, during which the West Bank was captured, or "starts to intrude in a way that makes it more difficult for us to make the case for a viable Palestinian state or starts to cut off certain towns or villages.''

Administration officials are considering a reduction in loan guarantees to Israel as a penalty for constructing the fence.

The dollar-for-dollar formula now might be applied to the $9 billion in loan guarantees over three years and $1 billion in military aid approved in the spring to help compensate Israel for the economic impact of the war with Iraq.

Earlier this week, in an interview for broadcast to the Arab world, Powell said. "We are concerned when the fence crosses over onto the land of others.''

That suggested a judgment that Israel has no claim to the West Bank, which it wrested from Jordan in 1967 after 19 years of Jordanian occupation.

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