JERUSALEM, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Israel has agreed to stop construction of parts of a West Bank wall until it reaches a compromise with the Bush administration.
One of the disputed lengths would reach eastward into the West Bank to encompass the large Israeli settlement of Ariel, the New York Times said.
President George W. Bush has called the barrier "a problem," but a senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Bush administration did not object in principle to the barrier but did express "a great deal of concern" about the planned branch around Ariel.
"They believe the same security production can be achieved by a different route," he said.
He said the Israeli army was considering such changes as including more gates to permit Palestinians to pass from their homes to farmland that may be left on the far side. Israel has finished more than 80 miles of the barrier so far.
