August 2, 2003	Saturday	Jumadi-us-Sani 3, 1424

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AL QUDS, Aug 1: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Friday Israel’s security barrier in the West Bank could undermine a peace “road map”, as Israeli troops fired rubber bullets at protesters trying to cut part of the fence.

Powell’s comments, published in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Maariv, followed US President George W. Bush’s failure in talks on Tuesday to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to stop building the barrier.

Underscoring Palestinian anger stirred by the issue, several hundred protesters trying to breach the fence near the West Bank town of Tulkarm clashed with Israeli soldiers, witnesses said.

A spokesman for the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement said seven of its activists — four Britons and three Americans — and two Palestinians were hit by rubber bullets but none was seriously wounded. The army had no immediate comment.

Palestinians say construction of the barrier and Israel’s plans to build more homes at a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip in defiance of the peace plan, have dealt a blow to efforts to rebuild trust after 34 months of bloodshed.

Israel says the barrier is to keep out suicide bombers. Palestinians say it grabs land they want as part of their state. The United States says it is a problem because it could make life harder for Palestinians and prejudge future borders.

“The fence is developing in a manner that will make it difficult to reach the next step of the road map,” Powell told Maariv.

He said Bush had made clear to Sharon his problems with project and told him that the next phase of construction near Al Quds could further complicate the situation.

The barrier, a concrete wall in some places and a metal fence topped with razor wire in others, is due to cut deep into West Bank territory in some areas, looping around several Jewish settlements.

OUTCRY: Israel drew a Palestinian outcry on Thursday with its approval of a tender for 22 new homes in the Neveh Dekalim settlement in the Gaza Strip, one of about 150 Jewish settlements across the Palestinian territories.

The international community views Jewish settlements on occupied land as illegal. Israel disputes this.

“Israel still insists on destroying the road map because they choose the settlements over the peace,” Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat said.

The United States said it was still discussing with Israel the meaning of what Palestinians see as a crucial part of the first phase of the “road map” — an end to settlement activity.

“There are very involved aspects to this, of funding, of so-called natural growth, so-called questions of children, questions of cousins, questions of schools, questions of perimeters, questions of land,” US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters on Thursday.

“It remains a stated US policy that a settlements freeze is part of the road map and we expect the parties to abide by the commitments in the road map,” Boucher said.—Reuters