Israeli fence 'roadmap barrier'

Israel's security fence in the West Bank is a major obstacle to the implementation of the roadmap peace plan, Middle East papers say.

Opinion across the Arabic press is uniformly hostile, while comment in Israel broadens the debate to consider whether the whole roadmap project should go ahead in the current climate.

---

The building of a separation wall threatens the roadmap and is a major obstacle to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Media, political and diplomatic manoeuvres, as well as troop movements, are all aimed at buying time and distracting attention while the strategy of building the racist wall and pursuing expansionist policies goes ahead.

Al-Ra'y - Jordan

---

The early struggle between Arabs and Israelis on a demographic basis favoured Israel because of migration from former Soviet states. The legal struggle at international forums also favoured Israel, and now the topography within the Palestinian land will favour the Israelis, despite what is being said about the wall being only for security reasons.

Al-Riyadh - Saudi Arabia

---

This security wall that Israel is building along its borders with the West Bank and Gaza - and which is a division between it itself and the Palestinian state - will transform it into a real "ghetto", where Jews can live in isolation from all the Middle Eastern nations.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat - London-based

---

The Israeli wall is made up of several settlements in the form of big snakes.

Al-Hayat al-Jadidah - Palestinian

---

The government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority cannot allow themselves to put the roadmap on hold... The continued construction of the fence, deep in the West Bank, is contradictory to a policy of reconciliation... In order for the diplomatic option to become a common interest, the man on the streets of Ramallah, and his neighbour on the streets of Jerusalem, must come to feel that the cease-fire is more to their advantage than reigniting the confrontation.

Ha'aretz - Israel

---

Mahmoud Abbas was granted generous credit and time to garner strength and authority to at least begin implementing his undertakings to eliminate terrorism. Instead, he embarked on a cease-fire with the very terrorists he had committed to fight... The violations will continue at least until the US and Israel formally freeze the roadmap pending their correction. It is not clear that waiting will make this difficult step any easier.

Jerusalem Post - Israel

---

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.