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Nations United Against Israel

World debates Israel?s right to self-defense


By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
July 11, 2004

World leaders have in the past condemned Israel’s targeted killing of “Palestinian” terrorists as “disproportionate” and its preventative military roadblocks as “degrading.”

Now the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has judged Israel’s anti-terror barrier is a violation of international law and must come down.

And while the court’s ruling was advisory in nature, it is expected to launch a new battle within the halls of the United Nations to further prevent the Jewish state from protecting its citizens against the Islamic terrorism that plagues them.

The Sharon government, meanwhile, vowed it would continue building the fence regardless of ICJ’s “one-side, political and immoral” opinion, and said it was looking to its American allies to block any subsequent UN sanctions.

‘Immoral’ decision

Following months of deliberation, the ICJ Friday published its advisory ruling concerning the legality of Israel’s anti-terrorism fence, which now separates Israeli population centers from many parts of PA-controlled Samaria.

Fourteen of the 15 ICJ justices sitting on the panel concurred with the decision that the barrier constituted a violation of international law, that it should be torn down immediately, and that any Palestinian Arabs who suffered as a result of its construction should be compensated by Israel.

The panel’s sole American judge voted against the verdict.

At Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel “absolutely rejects the [ICJ] ruling,” which “is a one-sided and politically motivated ruling” that completely ignores “the reason for the construction of the fence - murderous Palestinian terror."

“The decision sends a destructive message to encourage the terror and denounces countries that are defending themselves against it," he said.

Ha’aretz quoted Sharon as saying he hoped “this immoral decision will disappear from the world.”

The coming battle

Though the ICJ’s ruling is not binding, it is expected to lead to increased efforts at the United Nations to sanction the Jewish state for taking unilateral measures to defend itself.

“Palestinian” observer to the UN, Nasser Al-Kidwa, will reportedly submit a draft resolution to the General Assembly via Arab states in the coming days.

The assembly is expected to vote in favor of the motion, and demand that Israel comply with the ICJ’s findings.

As General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, Israel’s enemies at the UN would then likely take the battle to the Security Council, where actual sanctions could be approved.

Israel looking to its ‘friends’

Israeli diplomats are engaged in intense efforts to solidify European opposition to any General Assembly resolutions based on the ICJ ruling.

The European Union had rejected the notion that the ICJ had jurisdiction to rule on the legality of Israel’s fence.

Should the matter come before the Security Council, Washington has reportedly promised Israel it would veto any resolution presented there.

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