in The Hague that its West Bank barrier was illegal and must be disbanded in several areas. The Government of Israel said the barrier is the best way to protect against suicide attacks, which some officials say have killed roughly one thousands Israelis in recent years.
However Palestinian leaders praised the non-binding decision of the International Court, and said they hope the U.N. Security Council would also come with a resolution on the issue, although the United States was likely to veto it.
The court also ruled that Israel must pay compensation to Palestinians for land confiscated from them for the building of the barrier. Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmed Qureia, described the decision as "historic." Palestinian Minister for Negotiations, Saeb Erekat, says the issue must now be debated again at the United Nations.
"ADVISORY OPINION"
"This advisory opinion will go back to the General Assembly," Erekat said. "What we will seek to do as Palestinians, number one is to put this advisory opinion to each individual member of the General Assembly – there are 189 nations there – to ask them where do you stand on this, either with it or against it? Secondly the Security Council is an option for us."
Israeli officials oppose such a move. The Israeli foreign ministry’s legal advisor, Alan Baker, said that such issues must be decided between Israel and the Palestinians in bilateral negotiations and not in international forums, the Voice of America reported.
It came as Israel reportedly tried to contain Palestinian violence. Four Israeli soldiers were injured Thursday, one seriously, when Palestinian fighters fired an anti-tank missile and detonated a roadside bomb near their jeep near the southern Gaza settlement of Morag, monitored the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).
10 DAYS FIGHTING
The attack reportedly happened at the end of a tenth day of fighting in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun that left at least nine Palestinians dead and one Israeli seriously wounded as the Israeli forces continued attempts to stem the wave of Hamas rocket attacks at Israeli towns.
According to Palestinian medical sources, the dead include at least five armed gunmen and a middle-aged woman, with some 20 others injured, the ICEJ News Service said. At least two of the dead were from the Arafat-linked Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and one more was reported to be a military commander in Hamas.
Israel had hopes to receive support from the the United States, but on Friday, July 9, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge canceled a planned visit to Israel next week because of a feared terrorist attack in America, Israel Radio reported.
Ridge reportedly warned that the Al-Qaida network may attempt an election time attack in the United States, and officials in Washington said that he prefers not to leave the country at such a sensitive time.
