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07/11/2005:

"Israeli Barrier in Jerusalem Will Cut Off 55,000 Arabs"

Israel's separation barrier in Jerusalem will cut off 55,000 Palestinian residents from the rest of the city, Israeli officials acknowledged Sunday. Palestinians responded sharply, saying they will face daily complications in reaching jobs, schools and hospitals.

It was the first time the government had said how many tens of thousands of Jerusalem residents would be outside the fence.

Israel's cabinet called for the swift completion of the partly built barrier in Jerusalem, which has been hit by more Palestinian suicide bombings than any other city. The cabinet endorsed a series of measures intended to minimize disruptions, including building a dozen crossing points that would permit Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to move back and forth.

Palestinians demanded that Israel stop building the barrier and said its route divided Palestinian neighborhoods from one another.

"When the Palestinian people see the construction of the wall, the isolation of Jerusalem and the building of more Jewish settlements, how can Palestinians believe there is a promising future," said Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian foreign minister.

The Israeli announcement came a year and a day after the International Court of Justice at The Hague handed down an advisory ruling that said building the separation barrier inside the West Bank violated international law.
Full: nytimes.com