Jerusalem-Area Security Fence to Be Completed by the End of 2004

Minister of Internal Security Tzahi Hanegbi said that the security fence going up around the rim of northern and southern Jerusalem would be completed by the end of the years. "In another year we can expect that Jerusalem residents will have a much greater sense of security," Hanegbi said.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said that when completed, the security barrier around Jerusalem would run a total of around 47 miles. To date, one third of the Jerusalem-area barrier has been completed. he said. The Jerusalem security fence is aimed at preventing Palestinian bombers from entering the capital, and is part of the roughly 250 miles fence bordering the West Bank.

Israel Police Inspector Gen. Shlomo Aharonishky along with other security officials have repeatedly reiterated that its construction was "absolutely essential" to reduce the number of attacks by terrorists entering the city from Palestinian areas, just minutes away from Jerusalem by car. Over the last three years of violence, more than 100 Palestinian suicide bombers from the West Bank have struck in Israeli cities, killing hundreds of civilians.

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