Press dismay at security barrier

Arab papers deplore Israel's decision to go ahead with the second stage of a controversial security barrier in the West Bank.

An Israeli paper also questions the decision, suggesting it has not been thought through.

Elsewhere the Israeli press returns to the refusal by a group of Israeli pilots to take part in attacks in the Palestinian territories.

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It is clear that the Ariel wall will add another dimension to the tragedy caused by the great wall that pierces the heart of the West Bank and separates it into north and south...

The decision to fence off Ariel constitutes a challenge by the Israeli Government to the peace process and to the will of the international community. It shows gross disdain for the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people.

Al-Quds - Palestinian

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The saga of the racist wall will not be echoed internationally unless the Arabs move to defend the remains of Palestine. We need communal Arab action, based on the will of the international community. The world will not do anything on its own if those who have the rights are silent about their usurped rights.

Al-Bayan - UAE

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As yet, the US censure does not appear to have made any dent on the project... Although Washington has denounced the plan, it would be of no avail unless there is definite action like, say, sanctions, to force Israel to drop the fence plan for good.

Riyadh Daily - Saudi Arabia

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The crux of the matter... is that the quartet committee is ignoring Israel's insistence on practising all forms of state terrorism.

Al-Mustaqbal - Lebanon

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Yesterday the government decided on completing the fence along an agreed route. It is possible to put all these words in quotation marks.

No-one explained where the money will come from and at whose expense... No-one explained how the concepts of gaps, parallel fences, and incomplete routes merge into one defensible system... No-one decided what will be the fate of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who will find themselves trapped between the two fences... The main thing is that a decision has been taken, and the subject can now be dropped from the agenda.

Yedi'ot Aharonot - Israel

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Contrary to the arguments heard here last week, the pilots' letter did not harm Israel's security and strength... the fact that among the uniformed there are people who are disturbed by the heavy moral meaning of not only harming the innocent during liquidation operations, but also of the occupation, testifies to the strength of society.

It is good that there are Israelis who do not lower their heads in silence but express their opinion loudly against the continuation of the occupation and the policy of force that is unable to eradicate terror but is intensifying it.

Ma'ariv - Israel

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The attempt to harness the Air Force to a disguised political struggle 'against the occupation' has boomeranged. Not only did the healthy senses of the people sharpen against this anti-democratic act; but every responsible leader condemned it... the group of [Air Force] refuseniks is sending a message of encouragement to terror and even for speeding up the war plans.

Ma'ariv - Israel

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The phenomenon of refusal to serve in the [occupied] territories is a symptom and direct result of ruling over another people... A wise government should have understood this long ago, and responded with action not words.

Jerusalem Post - Israel

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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.