The new route of the West Bank security fence will move further westwards towards the 1967 Green Line, Israeli Army Radio reported on Tuesday.

The new route is necessary if the defense establishment is to obey the ruling of the High Court of Justice, defence officials were quoted as saying

Israel's High Court of Justice last week ruled that Israel has a right to build the barrier, but in certain places the barrier's route must be changed to minimize the hardship caused to local Palestinians.

The officials added that the defense establishment's top priority is the security fence's completion.

Also on tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz voiced optimism regarding the fence's construction. "I hope that even within this year we will work on large sections of the fence," he told the Army Radio.