Approved Final Route of Separation Barrier Divides Jerusalem and Bethlehem

Earlier this week, the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved the final route of a barrier around Jerusalem. It will cut East Jerusalem and the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank on the Israeli side off from the rest of the West Bank, and will divide Bethlehem. Christians are concerned that the movement will endanger the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

As the barrier will encompass east Jerusalem, which is claimed by the Palestinians to be the intended Palestinian capital, the Israelis are continuously trying to claim back land in Palestine. The barrier will even include a chunk of the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, to encompass a Jewish shrine.

The Palestinians have said that the real intention of the Israeli government in constructing the barrier was to grab West Bank land and draw a final border without waiting for a peace deal.

However, the Israeli government sternly deny the accusation and say that the barrier is for security reasons, claiming that Israel has an absolute right to defend its citizens from Palestinian attackers.

Christian Aid, a British aid agency, pointed out that the route of the barrier is having a devastating effect on the lives of Palestinians living nearby and many have been forced to move.

Earlier this month, on the one-day global conference on Palestinian reform held in London, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas pledged his commitment to cracking down on Israeli militant groups.

In response to the meeting, Christian Aid gave a representation of the views from Palestinian Christians in a statement. Bernard Sabella of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees, Middle East Council of Churches says, "The biggest stumbling block [to peace] is the reality of continued occupation. If Israel wants real peace it must not continue holding onto settlements in the occupied territories, and exerting full control over Palestinian lives." The approved separation barrier, to many, has been a very obvious example.

Christian Aid Partner, YWCA Palestine lamented that very often the actions proposed for peace have not resolved the actual problem. For instance, Israel has release some 500 Palestinian prisoners, but the main security measures from Israeli militants such as roadblocks and movement restrictions in the West Bank remain in place.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the United Nations is establishing a register of damages to Palestinian property and claims against Israel resulting from the barrier construction. The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution against the barrier, and the U.N.'s world court said last year it was illegal and must be torn down.