By Janine Zacharia Jerusalem Post August 18, 2003

US Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) on Sunday endorsed Israel’s construction of a security fence as necessary to help prevent acts of terrorism. He said the Bush administration should not reduce US loan guarantees because of the barrier.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the administration is examining whether to trim part of the amount Israel spends on the fence from its $9 billion in loan guarantees. The US believes the fence could undermine chances of implementing the road map.

McCain, taking issue with the administration’s view, said the fence could only enhance the peace plan’s chances of success.

“There are many of us in the Congress who feel the fence is an important contributor to reduction in acts of terror. And it’s pretty clear the Oslo Accords failed because they were based on the premise that Palestinians and Israelis could live peacefully together. The fence is an effort to see if Israelis and Palestinians can live peacefully apart, at least for a period of time,” McCain, a former presidential candidate, said after meeting with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

McCain said the US and Israel could reach agreement on an acceptable route for the fence. But he said final decisions about security-related matters should be left to the Israeli government. Asked whether he thinks loan guarantees should be linked to fence construction, McCain said: “I absolutely do not.”

McCain was here as head of a bipartisan delegation that included Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), John Sununu (R-New Hampshire), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas), and Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tennessee). Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Arizona), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs which is influential in determining aid to Israel was scheduled to join the delegation on Monday. Bailey Hutchinson called the fence “not a bad idea in itself,” but said she believes the route should be negotiated.

In the meeting, Shalom said the Palestinian Authority is not dismantling terrorist organizations and described the threat posed by Hizbullah. He also raised the plight of the MIAs. McCain, a former Vietnam POW, pledged to “do his utmost” to help secure their release, according to one person present. The delegation later met with families of MIAs.

The delegation also met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, and was scheduled to have dinner with former prime minister Ehud Barak. On Monday, the legislators are to take a helicopter tour of the fence and examine Hizbullah activities along the northern border. They are also scheduled to meet with PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Labor Party chairman Shimon Peres.

McCain said he is unsure about the extent of Abbas’s authority.

“I think the question that many of us wonder about is how much real authority do Mr. Abbas and his organization have and how much authority remains in the hands of [Yasser] Arafat and what is his involvement.

“Apparently there were reports that prior [to the terrorist attacks in Ariel and Rosh Ha’ayin last week], there was a meeting between Mr. Arafat and those who orchestrated those attacks,” McCain told reporters.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2003 and is filed under hotnews.