Sneh complains about 'one-sided' World Bank report

The World Bank report on restrictions imposed by Israel on the freedom of movement of Palestinians is full of errors and imbalanced, said Deputy Defense Minister Efraim Sneh yesterday, responding to news of the report published in Haaretz on Tuesday.

Sneh told Haaretz that the report uses mistaken data. He said there are 300 non-fixed barriers in the West Bank at present, and 25 fixed roadblocks, compared to the figure of 546 mentioned in the World Bank report.

"The World Bank report uses data of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA], which is inclined to count every opening in the separation fence, checkpoints on the Green Line, and every two rocks on the road as roadblocks in the West Bank," Sneh complained.

Sneh points out several areas in the West Bank where passage for the transfer of goods and people has been eased, but complains "the World Bank is ignoring a much more basic fact: What is making the life of Palestinians in the West Bank difficult is terrorism, not Israel. From Jenin to Nablus there are daily attempts to carry out attacks on Israel and the World Bank has forgotten that uncontrolled lifting of roadblocks could lead to the loss of lives. If the World Bank knows how to do it better, let it tell us."

Sneh said "one-sided criticism is out of place. Why are there no closures on cities in the southern West Bank? Did the World Bank ask itself this?"