- Joined
- May 19, 2004
- Messages
- 14,202
- Reaction score
- 8,887
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Libertarian - Right
Source: Yahoo News
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The World Court will rule on Friday that Israel's West Bank barrier, which has wrought hardship for thousands of Palestinians, violates international law and should be torn down, a leaked copy of the ruling showed.
It said the court would declare that the swathe of fences and walls infringed the rights of Palestinian inhabitants who have been trapped in enclaves by sections that take in Jewish settlements on occupied territory.
"The construction of the wall and its associated regime are contrary to international law," said the document leaked to Reuters in Jerusalem hours before its scheduled 9 a.m. EDT announcement in The Hague (news - web sites) where the court is based.
"(It has) imposed substantial restrictions on the freedom of movement of the occupied Palestinian territory."
Israel has said it would disregard the non-binding decision, calling the barrier a vital security bulwark against infiltrating Palestinian militants. Palestinians brand it a precursor to annexation of land Israel captured in a 1967 war.
The leaked text of the ruling also urged follow-up action by the U.N. General Assembly and U.N. Security Council, which could heighten Israeli concern about a move to mete out sanctions against the Jewish state over the barrier.
"The court is of the view that the United Nations (news - web sites), and especially the General Assembly and Security Council, should consider what further action is required to bring an end to the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall."
Palestinians tend to enjoy considerable support within U.N. institutions.
ISRAEL HOPES U.S. COULD STYMIE SANCTIONS MOVE
Israel looks to the veto power of key ally the United States in the Security Council to block any Palestinian-driven bid to punish Israel as apartheid South Africa was after the World Court ruled its occupation of Namibia illegal in 1971.
Palestinian authorities, who seek a state in the West Bank and Gaza, counted on the court -- the top U.N. legal body and formally known as the International Court of Justice -- to declare the barrier illegal to enable possible sanctions.
The World Court acknowledged "various documents" were being circulated before the announced ruling but said in a statement: "The registrar of the court wishes to make it clear that the only authentic text is the official text issued by the court."
There was no immediate official Israeli response to the leaked decision. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) told reporters on Thursday: "We put tremendous faith in this court."
The General Assembly requested an opinion in December and The Hague court held hearings in February overshadowed by the theatrical lobbying and demonstrations of both sides.
The ruling was expected to be one of the most closely monitored in the 58-year history of the World Court and attested to paralysis in Middle East peacemaking after years of violence.
Israeli officials say the barrier, about a third of whose planned more than 370-mile length has been built since 2002, has already pre-empted dozens of suicide bomb attacks. Such bombers have killed hundreds of Israelis.
"We will abide by the ruling of our own High Court and not the panel in The Hague with judges from the European Union (news - web sites) who are not suspected of being particularly disposed toward Israel," Justice Minister Yosef Lapid told Israeli Army Radio on Friday.
Palestinians condemn the barrier as a territorial grab since its charted route often diverges from the boundary with Israel well into the West Bank to encompass settlements Israel vows never to yield under any future peace treaty. "The court is not convinced that the construction of the wall along the route chosen was the only means to safeguard the interests of Israel," the leaked document read. (Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson in The Hague and Mohammed Assadi in the West Bank)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The World Court will rule on Friday that Israel's West Bank barrier, which has wrought hardship for thousands of Palestinians, violates international law and should be torn down, a leaked copy of the ruling showed.
It said the court would declare that the swathe of fences and walls infringed the rights of Palestinian inhabitants who have been trapped in enclaves by sections that take in Jewish settlements on occupied territory.
"The construction of the wall and its associated regime are contrary to international law," said the document leaked to Reuters in Jerusalem hours before its scheduled 9 a.m. EDT announcement in The Hague (news - web sites) where the court is based.
"(It has) imposed substantial restrictions on the freedom of movement of the occupied Palestinian territory."
Israel has said it would disregard the non-binding decision, calling the barrier a vital security bulwark against infiltrating Palestinian militants. Palestinians brand it a precursor to annexation of land Israel captured in a 1967 war.
The leaked text of the ruling also urged follow-up action by the U.N. General Assembly and U.N. Security Council, which could heighten Israeli concern about a move to mete out sanctions against the Jewish state over the barrier.
"The court is of the view that the United Nations (news - web sites), and especially the General Assembly and Security Council, should consider what further action is required to bring an end to the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall."
Palestinians tend to enjoy considerable support within U.N. institutions.
ISRAEL HOPES U.S. COULD STYMIE SANCTIONS MOVE
Israel looks to the veto power of key ally the United States in the Security Council to block any Palestinian-driven bid to punish Israel as apartheid South Africa was after the World Court ruled its occupation of Namibia illegal in 1971.
Palestinian authorities, who seek a state in the West Bank and Gaza, counted on the court -- the top U.N. legal body and formally known as the International Court of Justice -- to declare the barrier illegal to enable possible sanctions.
The World Court acknowledged "various documents" were being circulated before the announced ruling but said in a statement: "The registrar of the court wishes to make it clear that the only authentic text is the official text issued by the court."
There was no immediate official Israeli response to the leaked decision. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) told reporters on Thursday: "We put tremendous faith in this court."
The General Assembly requested an opinion in December and The Hague court held hearings in February overshadowed by the theatrical lobbying and demonstrations of both sides.
The ruling was expected to be one of the most closely monitored in the 58-year history of the World Court and attested to paralysis in Middle East peacemaking after years of violence.
Israeli officials say the barrier, about a third of whose planned more than 370-mile length has been built since 2002, has already pre-empted dozens of suicide bomb attacks. Such bombers have killed hundreds of Israelis.
"We will abide by the ruling of our own High Court and not the panel in The Hague with judges from the European Union (news - web sites) who are not suspected of being particularly disposed toward Israel," Justice Minister Yosef Lapid told Israeli Army Radio on Friday.
Palestinians condemn the barrier as a territorial grab since its charted route often diverges from the boundary with Israel well into the West Bank to encompass settlements Israel vows never to yield under any future peace treaty. "The court is not convinced that the construction of the wall along the route chosen was the only means to safeguard the interests of Israel," the leaked document read. (Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson in The Hague and Mohammed Assadi in the West Bank)