Arafat: Separation wall bars establishment of Palestinian state
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 2/24/2004

Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat warned on Monday that the separation wall built by Israel in the West Bank prevents the setting up of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The wall also threatens US President George W. Bush's plan to set up a Palestinian state side by side with Israel, Arafat said adding that the wall aims at cutting in on Palestinian lands.

"The wall has turned Palestinian towns into jails," he said.

"We need bridges of cooperation and not apartheid walls," the Palestinian Leader said, stressing that the wall prevents Palestinians from reaching the Islamic and Christian holy places.

He urged peace powers in Israel to prevent the building of the wall in order to realize peace in the region.

Arafat expressed confidence that the International Court of Justice (ICJ), that is debating the legality of the wall, will achieve justice.

"We have a chance to build bridges of peace for the future of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples," Arafat said.

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