Israel said to install fence in West Bank
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-14 09:03

The Israeli military plans to put an electronic fence in the northern West Bank after this summer's planned evacuation of four settlements there, an army publication reported.

The electronic fence is to extend across a section of the West Bank between the northern towns of Jenin and Nablus, according to the current edition of the soldiers' weekly, "Bamahane."

Israel plans to dismantle all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and the four in the northern West Bank as part of its "disengagement" plan.

Before sunrise, Palestinian workers warm themselves by the fire waiting for the opening of the Israeli-run industrial complex, visible in background, on Israel's border with northern Gaza Strip, at Erez, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005. After months of closure, Israel has reopened the complex due to the current official ceasefire with the Palestinian Authority. [AP]

The four West Bank settlements to be evacuated — Sa-Nur, Homesh, Ganim and Kadim — are near Jenin, north of the projected path of the fence, and no settlements would remain there.

A string of settlements extends south of the path, around the city of Nablus, and the object of the electronic measures would be to give warnings of infiltrations toward those settlements.

The electronic fence is separate from the barrier Israel is building along the entire West Bank. The barrier dips into the Arab territory at some points, because Israel says it's necessary to keep Palestinian suicide bombers and other attackers out of the country.

Palestinians demand that the work be halted, complaining that it cuts many farmers off from their land and causes other hardships.

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