Israel 'removes section of fence'

[Salem6]

Israel has begun to remove a section of its security barrier, the day before an international court case, reports say.

Officials say an 8km (5-mile) stretch of fence around the West Bank town of Baka al-Sharqiya will be removed.


Israel is boycotting the court hearings in The Hague

The work began a day after thousands of Palestinians protested against the barrier and a day before the World Court begins to consider its legality.

Israel says the barrier is necessary to keep out suicide bombers, while critics say it is a device to grab land.

On Saturday, thousands of Palestinians staged some of the biggest anti-barrier protests seen in the West Bank since Israel began construction last year.

In the largest demonstration, in Nablus, about 2,000 protesters marched through the streets, some firing guns into the air.

The Palestinian Authority has called on Palestinians to stage a " Day of Rage" of Monday, to coincide with the start of the hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.




Sections of the barrier weave deep inside the West Bank, isolating Palestinian villages and causing hardship to thousands of civilians, opponents say.

Israeli officials have not ruled out changing the route of the planned 720km (480 mile) barrier.

The ICJ will hear arguments against the barrier by 17 countries, as well as the Arab League.

In addition, 44 countries - most of them opposing ICJ intervention - have presented written evidence.

Israel, the US and the European Union are boycotting the hearing, arguing that the court does not have the legal authority to judge the issue.



Video:-

The BBC's Donna Larsen
"The route of the barrier has come under international criticism"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39889000/rm/_39889295_barrier05_larsen_vi.ram

[Salem6]

As hearings begin in The Hague, Israel will dismantle a section of the counter-terrorism barrier near Baka Al-Sharkiyeh and Zeita. Defense Ministry claims decision made six months ago.
Maariv News Service

Israel will dismantle eight kilometers of the counter-terrorism barrier east of Baka Al-Sharkiyeh and Zeita in Judea and Samaria, official sources announced. Work will begin Sunday, on the eve of International Court Justice hearings in The Hague. This section is being removed because another section of fence, to the west of the villages has been completed.

After the eastern barrier is removed and the trench that was dug to prevent the passage of car-bombs is filled, the thousands of Palestinians who live in the area will no longer be surrounded by the barrier on both sides.

Israeli Defense Ministry spokeswoman Rachel Niedak-Ashkenazi said that rerouting the barrier had been planned six months ago and the timing of the eastern barrier's removal is not related to the hearing in The Hague, which begins on Monday.

Director General of the Defense Ministry Amos Yaron told Army Radio, “Everything being done in the area near Baka al-Garbiyeh was planned in advance. The plan was to move the barrier route so it would be between Baka Al-Sharkiyeh and Baka al-Garbiyeh and that is where it now is. The work was done in a residential area and it involved destroying houses and evacuating citizens. Therefore, the process took a long time and included legal suits and compensation payments. From the beginning, we estimated that it would take between eighteen months and two years. The complications were only worked out three or four months ago. Just when we were trying decide what to do, there was an attack on Kibbutz Metzar so we had no choice but to close off the area”.

Yaron estimates that the changes will cost approximately NIS 20 million. “Sometimes, security considerations cost money”. He also discounted any connection between the timing of the work and Monday’s hearing.

On Saturday, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Nablus and protested the construction of the barrier far into the West Bank, which they claim leaves them enclosed in isolated sections.

Head of the Meretz faction, MK Zahava Gal-On asked the Knesset’s State Control Committee to investigate “negligent handling of the barrier which caused Israel to be dragged to the ICJ in The Hague”. Army Radio reported that Gal-on asked that the inquiry include how the barrier’s route was determined and why it is changed so frequently. She added that the barrier is not increasing security and has become a diplomatic burden.

MK Ran Cohen (Meretz) agreed that the barrier is not improving security for Israelis, violates the human rights of many thousand Palestinians and wasting millions of shekels. “The State of Israel is being led by criminal and stupid government”, he added.


www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=3324