U.S. WANTS ISRAEL TO HALT SECURITY FENCE CONSTRUCTION

JERUSALEM [MENL] -- The United States wants Israel to halt the constructionof a security fence along the West Bank to protect against Palestiniansuicide bombings. Israeli officials said the State Department has relayed several messagesto the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon regarding the $1 billionproject. The messages asserted that the security fence could serve as aborder claim by Israel and represents a unilateral change in the West Bank.