Israel considers changing route of barrier
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Sharon said the barrier's construction has been "both good and bad."
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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said there may be changes in the route of the separation barrier being built in the West Bank, but not because of international pressure.
Sharon -- in a meeting Sunday with his inner Cabinet -- said he was "personally monitoring" problems the barrier might cause to the daily lives of Palestinians.
Sharon also said Israeli Acting Attorney General Edna Arbel gave him a report suggesting legal problems in defending the barrier's route before Israel's High Court of Justice.
"We are not discussing a change in the route of the fence, and there will be no change as a result of Palestinian or U.N. demands, including those from the Court," Sharon said. "A re-discussion of the fence's route will take place only as a result of internal Israeli deliberations."
Sharon said the experience during construction of the barrier over the last few months has been "both good and bad."
"It was excellent at preventing terror but was not satisfactory in all matters relating to the damage to Palestinians' quality of life," he said. "I am personally monitoring the problems arising from the operation of the fence and am familiar with the complaints about it; it is possible that additional thought is needed to allow for the possibility of changing the route, in order to reduce the number of mishaps in operating the fence without harming security."
Sharon said another factor in the reconsideration is a "difficult determination" presented to him by Acting Attorney General Arbel that "indicates legal difficulties in defending the State's position before the High Court of Justice on certain points related to the route of the fence."
"This is an internal legal position that must be considered with due seriousness, and this I will do," he said.
No decisions were made at Sunday's meeting. Instead, a task force will "prepare a range of professional positions" on the basis of the existing route, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
"If Israel -- for humanitarian and domestic reasons -- decides to change the route, the task force will, of course, adapt the professional opinions in accordance with the changes," the statement said.
While Israel has said the barrier is crucial for security, Palestinian authorities have called it nothing more than a land grab by Israel.
