UN asks International Court for opinion on Israel 'wall'

UN ^ | Dec 8 | UN

[GeronL]

UN General Assembly votes to ask ICJ for opinion on Israel's separation barrier

8 December – The United Nations General Assembly, at the resumption of its long-running tenth emergency special session, adopted a resolution today asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's construction of a separation barrier between itself and the West Bank.

The recorded vote in the 191-member Assembly was 90 in favour, 8 against (Australia, Ethiopia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, United States), with 74 abstentions. Nineteen delegations were absent.

Among those abstaining were two members of the "Quartet" advocating a Roadmap to Peace in the Middle East: the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom. The other two members of the Quartet are the United States and the United Nations.

The Assembly also expressed grave concern about the start and ongoing construction of the barrier in and around East Jerusalem -- a departure from the 1940s Armistice "Green Line" -- disrupting the lives of thousands of civilians and leading to the de facto annexation of large areas of territory.

The tenth emergency session on illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory dates back to 1997, when Israel began construction of a new settlement south of East Jerusalem.

The ICJ, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, and established in 1946, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It has the dual role of settling legal disputes between member states and issuing advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by international organs and agencies.

Arab delegations had called for the vote following the release of a report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which said that Israel was not in compliance with the General Assembly's past demand that it halt construction of the barrier and remove it.

After the vote, Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman said more than half the Assembly had not voted for the present "biased resolution," rejecting it in one way or another. Among those voting for and against the measure, a clear distinction existed between tyrannical dictatorships and corrupt regimes on one side and those with enlightened regimes on the other, he said.

Israel regarded the vote as a moral victory for the enlightened, civilized world over the dark forces of tyranny and corruption, he said.

The Observer for Palestine, Nasser al-Kidwa, described the barrier as a 21st century "wall of shame," which was built on a foundation of killings and human rights violations and which must be removed immediately.

Continued construction of the wall meant the end of the two-state solution to the conflict, as well as the Quartet-backed peace plan, he said. The entire world stood against the building of the "expansionist wall" and countries had been subjected to "immense pressures" not to vote for the resolution, he added.

[GeronL]

90-8, 74 not voting and 19 absent

wow, we got 8 votes this time, the US and Israel are gaining on them!!!

[dufekin]

I hope the "court" rules that Israel has the right to defend its borders, and the right to sovereignty within its borders. Israel has both the right and the obligation to use any means necessary to defend its citizens, its people, its culture, and its religion from annihilation at the hands of the most cowardly terrorists. If this wall happens to result in positive gains toward that end, then the international community has no responsible choice but to support it and to back Israel as the Jewish state moves forward to achieve the peace that is the inherent right of all nations.

[TomGuy]

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which said that Israel was not in compliance with the General Assembly's past demand that it halt construction of the barrier and remove it.

I'm sure they will get right on that Kofi. Maybe Israel should even start providing free taxi service so the homicide bombers don't have to walk all that distance into Israeli cities.

Both items will be put on the consideration list, just after the item about snowball's chance in Hell and when Hell freezes over.

[DoughtyOne]

In the US court of public opinion, the UN has been judged to be in need of tearing down it's walls and vacating our borders.

Never was there a more worthless pile of pond scum than that which bloviates within the UN building.

Call a fire drill. Move everyone out. Put them on buses to the nearest port, and implode that building today.

[GeronL]

The 'court' is made with political appointee's. Those 'judges' will vote along with the way their government feels about the issue. UN votes ain't secret and its easy to see that the globalist court fix is in.

They will probably declare all of the land to be Palestine and jews as illegal aliens.

[hoot2]

"...asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's construction of a separation barrier... "

"I hope the "court" rules that Israel has the right to defend its borders, and the right to sovereignty within its borders"

me too. then we can build one between us n mexico...

[GeronL]

I totally agree with you

[McGavin999]

The UN is going to screw around until it finds itself consisting of 3rd world nations only. They haven't got a single prayer of enforcing anything without the major powers and they're too stupid to figure it out.

I really do wish that we'd get out of that mess. It's an employment agency for the mentally deficient liberals who are unemployable by anyone else.

[CindyDawg]

The building looks smaller than I had imagined and "old". Maybe they out to move elsewhere (out of the US ) for better accommodations. Is it right on the water? The land has to be expensive. I bet NYers could find better us for it.

[GeronL]

YUP. That land is very very valuable, but what sits on it is junk. The UN would be better off in Brussels or something