Apartheid claims as Israelis kill five Palestinians

ISRAELI troops killed five Palestinians yesterday as plans were announced to pave new roads in the West Bank exclusively for Palestinians while Jewish settler vehicles keep to the existing network.

Palestinians condemned the roads idea as a form of apartheid and said the initiative appeared aimed at cementing the Jewish state’s hold on occupied land they want for a state.

The Israeli source, who asked not to be named because the government has yet to finalise the road plan, said there was no intention of formally limiting Palestinian movement.

“We want to ease access to various Palestinian communities,” the source said. “There is no intention of bringing about a separation of Israeli and Palestinian traffic. Palestinians will continue to make use of the roads they use today.”

The source said, however, Israelis would be banned from the future Palestinians-only roads because “we do not want them to get into a situation where their lives would be at risk.” No details were available of the extent of the proposed network or of when the plan might take effect.

“This is an apartheid system,” said top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. “We urge the international community to help us in order to cancel such policies and end Israeli occupation.”

About 245,000 Jews live among 2.4 million Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel, which quit the Gaza Strip last year in what it called a step to “disengage” from conflict with the Palestinians, says it will keep major West Bank settlement blocs under any accord. Debate over withdrawals from more isolated settlements is looming large ahead of next month’s Israeli elections.

Using curfews and military checkpoints, Israel has often imposed ad hoc restrictions on Palestinians since fighting erupted in 2000. Palestinian and settler vehicles have different number plates, which eases the enforcement of Israeli bans.

The World Court has branded all Israel’s settlements on occupied land illegal. Israel disputes this.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops killed five Palestinians, including three fugitive gunmen, and seriously wounded a sixth man during an arrest sweep in this militant stronghold. The three gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party, were killed during a shoot-out in their hideout in the Balata refugee camp.

Since the Balata sweep began Monday, eight Palestinians have been killed by army fire, including the five shot dead yesterday.