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November 28, 2003/Kislev 3 5764, Vol. 56, No. 10
Jerusalem Arabs plan for security fence
GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - Life is changing quickly for thou-sands of Arab residents of the Jerusalem area.
Three years of the Palestinian intifada and deteriorating Jewish-Muslim relations have taken a toll on the Arabs who live in and around Jerusalem, but that's nothing compared to the potential impact of the new West Bank security barrier, residents say.
To protect Jerusalemites from terrorist attacks, Israel is erecting a fence that will separate the capital city from some of its Arab suburbs.
To prepare for the new security barrier, many Arabs are making contingency plans - including pur-chasing homes in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem in case life gets too tough on the Palestinian-populated side of the barrier.
Around Jerusalem, many Arabs have been able to pledge allegiance to the Palestinian national cause, while enjoying the social benefits they receive as citizens of the Jewish state.
They receive benefits like unemployment insurance and allowances for children. They are free to travel anywhere in Israel, and their cars bear Israel's signature yellow license plates.
The new security fence won't change any of that - but it could make traveling more difficult for many of them.
The Jerusalem section of the new fence separating Israel from most of the West Bank will cut through Arab neighborhoods, dividing communities and families and introducing significant changes into residents' daily lives.
"I used to get into my car and reach the Knesset within 10 minutes," Ahmed Tibi, a Knesset member from the Hadash Party, told JTA. "Now this will change. I will need to take the roundabout way, to drive north, go through the Kalandiya checkpoint on the outskirts of Ramallah - the only passage through the fence - and only after I have passed the soldiers' inspection will I be able to pass the checkpoint, make a U-turn and drive into Jerusalem."
There are about 225,000 Arab residents of Jerusalem, the vast majority of whom have turned down offers of Israeli citizenship for political reasons. Instead, they enjoy permanent-residency status.
Over the years, many have moved to West Bank sub-urbs in search of less expensive housing and a higher quality of life.
Many of these Arabs still work in Jerusalem. De-pending on where they live, some may pay taxes to the Palestinian Authority.
This arrangement might have continued were it not for Palestinian terrorism. Re-peated attacks in western Jerusalem have led Israeli officials to draw up a barrier protecting Jerusalem from Palestinian assailants from the West Bank.
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