Israel proposes West Bank barrier as border

Israel is proposing to essentially turn its West Bank separation barrier into the border with a future state of Palestine, two Palestinian officials say, based on their interpretation of principles Israel presented in talks this week.    

The officials said Israeli envoy Yitzak Molcho told his Palestinian counterpart that Israel wants to keep east Jerusalem and consolidate Jewish settlements behind the separation barrier, which slices close to 10 percent off the West Bank. They spoke on Friday on condition of anonymity, citing strict no-leaks rules by Jordanian mediators.   

The proposal would fall short of what the Palestinians seem likely to accept, especially because it would leave Jerusalem on the "Israeli" side of the border. 

Israel has confirmed that it presented principles this week for drawing a border with a Palestinian state. But the politically charged nature of the talks, even though they were held at a relatively low level, below that of Cabinet ministers, was reflected in the guarded refusal by any top official to discuss details.

AP