(AFP/News.com-Australia) - Since Israel started erecting its controversial barrier in June 2002, 230km have been completed, essentially in the northern West Bank. "It's working and it has proved its purpose every day," Lt. Col. Shai Brovendeer says. Israel has replanted 90,000 olive trees uprooted by the construction and 16.5% of the budget allocated for the barrier's construction is to be spent on compensating the harm it does to Palestinians. Hani Aner, a resident of Masha whose house was severed from the rest of his village by the barrier, confirmed that he had been given a set of keys by the army to open it.
2004-05-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive