(MiddleEastOnline-UK) "Israel has the right to build a fence to protect itself if it feels that's what it needs to keep the terrorists from getting into Israel," Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate appropriations subcommittee on Thursday. "We have expressed concern to the Israelis over time about the route of the fence and whether it intrudes too deeply into Palestinian territory more than is necessary for the legitimate right of self-defense. The Israelis have made some adjustments to the fence over time and they have taken the fence down in some places once they have had a chance to take a second look at the impact that the fence has had," he said. Therefore, the U.S. will not withhold loan guarantees as it had threatened to do last year. "At the moment, we don't have any plans to dock them over the route of the fence," he said.
2004-04-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive