Israel Weighs Plan to Keep Out or Monitor Palestinians

The government is considering a plan to deter suicide bombers by putting electronic homing devices on Palestinian cars to track them while they are in Israel, an official confirmed Sunday.

A $100-million plan to separate Israel from Palestinians in the West Bank also includes fences and electronic sensors along the border, said the official, who requested anonymity.

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s government wants to separate Israelis from Palestinians by limiting the number of Palestinian workers in Israel and building barriers to stop infiltrators.

A security strip along the West Bank would be patrolled on both sides by soldiers and police with helicopters, electronic sensors and dogs trained to sniff out explosives, the official said.

The official was confirming a report by the newspaper Yediot Aharonot, which said fences would be built around the Jerusalem area and to separate Israel from the West Bank border towns of Qalqiliya and Janin.

Police Minister Moshe Shahal, head of the committee drafting the separation plan, has proposed putting a homing device on Palestinian cars entering Israel, Yediot Aharonot reported.

The government official who confirmed the report said the devices would be used only in certain areas.

The army has questioned the cost and effectiveness of Shahal’s plan.

Rabin has indicated he favors the separation plan but hasn’t made a final decision, the official said. The prime minister is expected to get the final draft this week.