U.S. Stand on Wall Angers Palestinians

Associate Press via MyWay News Page ^ | Feb 1, 12:18 AM (ET) | JASON KEYSER

[eccl1212]

JERUSALEM (AP) - A top Palestinian official told a visiting U.S. envoy Saturday that Palestinians were angered over Washington's opposition to an international court hearing on the Israeli barrier to seal off the West Bank.

The expansive complex of trenches, fences, walls and razor wire, has become one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and both sides see the upcoming hearing as important to determining the project's fate.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat told State Department official David Satterfield that Palestinian leaders were upset with a U.S. position that the International Court of Justice should not consider the legality of the Israeli-built barrier.

The United States is trying to "shut the door in our faces," Erekat told The Associated Press.

The barrier is about one-quarter complete and will eventually stretch 440 miles. In some places its route roughly matches the West Bank boundary that Israeli forces crossed in the 1967 Mideast war. In others, it zigzags deep into West Bank land.

Israel says the barrier is crucial to stopping suicide bombers. The Palestinians say it's a brazen move to grab land and to crush chances for an independent Palestinian state.

The court in The Hague, Netherlands, is to begin hearings on Feb. 23.

Both sides submitted arguments to the court by Friday's deadline. Israel argued the judges have no jurisdiction, while the Palestinians said construction on occupied West Bank land is illegal.

The Bush administration opposes parts of the barrier that dip into the West Bank. But it submitted a statement to the court saying only states involved - not the U.N. General Assembly - can determine whether the court could rule in disputes among countries.

The court is the highest judicial body of the United Nations and took on the case at the request of the General Assembly. Its ruling on the barrier's legality is nonbinding, but both sides have invested great effort in the case because the outcome is likely to influence international opinion.

Several other countries - namely Britain - also are opposed to the hearings.

"I cannot understand it," Erekat said. "We seek to use diplomacy against the wall in going to the (United Nations) Security Council and the court of justice, and we find these countries, the U.S. and Britain, trying to shut the door in our faces."

Erekat said that Satterfield told him the "issue will not be resolved through courts."

In Washington on Friday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the barrier was an issue for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said he hopes objections from the United States and other countries will force the case the case to be dropped.

"Israel is not alone in its arguments and we hope these arguments will be seriously considered by the court," he said.

Meanwhile, a small Israeli force acting on a tip moved quickly into Bethlehem on Saturday, arrested two suspected militants and left before sunrise, the second quick raid in the West Bank town after a deadly suicide bombing.

The swift action followed a 12-hour military raid on Friday to destroy the home of the Palestinian policeman who had blown himself up on a bus in Jerusalem the day before, killing 11 people.

Israel's pinpoint raids in Bethlehem marked an uncharacteristically restrained response to the attack, and Israeli officials said they were tempering their reaction to avoid worsening the plight of ordinary Palestinians.

Analysts said Israel also does not want to anger U.S. officials or invite international criticism ahead of the court case on the barrier project. After previous bombings, Israel routinely launched large-scale military raids and closures of Palestinian areas.

Police on Saturday said forensics experts identified the body of another victim of Thursday's bus bombing, raising the death toll to 11. Manbara Valdi Tzadik, 35, was a migrant worker from Ethiopia.

[eccl1212]

How dare those pesky Israelis build a wall to block belt bombers from accessing their population of unarmed citizens?

[Bobby777]

Palestinian stand on supporting terror attacks angers U.S., Israel and all decent people everywhere ...

they're lucky the wall is the the reply ... they ought to be thankful ...

I do feel sorry for the (unknown) percentage of Palis who DO want to live in peace ... they rat out Arafat's thugs and Arafat has them tortured and killed for it ...

[squarebarb]

The Palestinians are angry about everything, all the time, 24/7, the only time I ever saw any of them happy was when the World Trade Center went down.

Which is not entirely true. There are thousands, I hope, who want the PA to go away and just wish to live normal lives.

So let me corret myself. The Palestinian militants are angry all the time, 24/7.

[Bobby777]

re: your tagline: "are we awake?" ... "yes we are, but we're very confused" ...

"do you need any help?" ... "oh, all I can get"

"I knew you wasn't the kid ... you was just pullin' my lariat"

"well raise my rent, you ARE the kid!"

[eccl1212]

I don't think bush is an anti-semite.
I just don't think he is quite "the best friend Israel ever had" he claims to be.

Bush endorsed a two state solution, between two peoples. One people who are trying to survive as members of western civilization, and a second, who seek to destroy western civilization embodied in the USA, Israel, Christians, Jews and dhimmis in general.

at the behest of saudis.
you are supposed to flag folks when you speak of them in thread... just so you know...

[LibWhacker]

I do feel sorry for the (unknown) percentage of Palis who DO want to live in peace . . .

Yep, I feel sorry for him, too.

[LdSentinal]

I get my post removed for defending Bush's Israel policies. Way to go Moderator.

I just don't think he is quite "the best friend Israel ever had" he claims to be.

He never said that he was. However, there should more appreciation for a man that helped install two new governments in the Middle Easr that are now more favorable to Israel.

[squarebarb]

Okay --- does it go "Are we awake?" "Yes, are we black?"
I loved that scene. Especially with the shaking hand."Yes, but I shoot with my left."

[Bobby777]

you're close ... 8) ... that movie took no prisoners ...

[eccl1212]

Don't blame me... I didn't call the moderator here.

Whether these two new "democracies" emerge as friends of Israel or fall back into islamic whackoism remains to be seen.

Early implications are that muslim extemism is not yet dealt with.. in toto.

ie: Blown up US soldiers every other day now, and blown up israeli civilians by the busloads... but yet we cannot allow Israel to touch the head of the hydra, arafat!

[Bobby777]

Yep, I feel sorry for him, too.

hehe ... unfortunately, there have been several executed in public to cow others into silence ... Arafat terrorizes some of his own people too ...

nonetheless, there were more than a few that danced on 9/11 ... we definitely saw that ... of course they put it in their mother's milk ... it's in the textbooks in schools ... a whole society bred to blame all their problems on Jews ... incredible ...

[KingNo155]

The wall would not be there if the Palestinian's where not MURDERIOUS F()CKS WHO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE!!! Palestinian'S SHOULD DISMANTLE THIER WALL OF MURDER BEFORE ASKING FOR ANY CONSESSIONS!

[squarebarb]

Exactly. Why aren't movies that funny anymore? Where did all the good laughing go to? There are no more funny Monte Python movies either. *sigh*

[LdSentinal]

Whether these two new "democracies" emerge as friends of Israel or fall back into islamic whackoism remains to be seen.

You mean if Israel has to bomb another nuclear reactor in the coming future?

e: Blown up US soldiers every other day now, and blown up israeli civilians by the busloads... but yet we cannot allow Israel to touch the head of the hydra, arafat!

If you want to deal with Israel's problems, go to the source of the funding: Europe. And Bush has done his best to make Europe impotent along with their UN buddies.

[yonif]

I think Saudi Arabia is the main founder of terrorists murdering Israelis.

[RightOnline]

"U.S. Stand on Wall Angers Palestinians"

Oh, f**k them. Our very existence 'angers' the Palis. Who gives a rat's rectum any more? Seriously, who?

They're the cockroaches of the Middle East.

[eccl1212]

I hear you YELLING.
Couldn't agree more.

I prefer transfer to wall building.
Displace the interlopers to their native lands, Syria, Jordan, Egypt or some other arab state of family origin.

Use the Jordan as a natural barrier, and export the troublemakers to their "brethren" who love them so much.
However, this is not about Pallies, it's about extermination of the Jewish race by arabs who hate them. Jews would be happy to live along side their abrahmic brethren, if only they would stop the belt bombing epidemic.

As it is, that's not going to happen. So we have to get a separator of some kind between the killers and the killees...

[yonif]

And of course, we provide hundreds of millions of dollars to the PLO each year.

[yonif]

The fence will fail in the end. For starters, it cannot stop Qassadm rockets which with the fence will have greater range. In addition, the fence will serve as a weakness. It will not stop terrorism, but will provide an obstacle to it. Terrorism will not stop unless the militant Islamic ideology is defeated.