Israelis at Hague: 'ICJ: Justice or Politics?'

Jerusalem Post ^ | Feb. 23, 2004 | TOVAH LAZAROFF

[yonif]

The bombed No. 19 bus, which killed 11 Israelis only three weeks ago, pulled up in front of the Peace Palace Monday morning, where the International Court of Justice resides.

The court's three-day oral proceedings over the legality of the disputed West Bank security fence began at 11 a.m. Monday, with thousands of people from all over the world demonstrating on the streets of The Hague, in the Netherlands.

While members of Zaka were taking the covering off the bus, dozens of protesters were holding up a large poster with photographs of many of the over 900 Israeli victims of terror of over three years of violence.

Standing behind two Palestinian flags, a number of Ultra-Orthodox Jews held signs protesting the construction of the fence and the existence of the State of Israel.

Paramedics from Magen David Adom read out the names of the 935 men, women and children who where killed by terror.

A number of the protesters taped bumper stickers to their clothing, with a slogan: "Fence out terror - give peace a chance."

Behind them a small number of demonstrators were standing with various signs: "ICJ: Justice or Politics?", "When terrorism stops the fence falls" and "Stop terrorism start negotiations."

Some of the demonstrators were holding up a sign with a picture of the dead bodies rapped in plastic killed in bus No. 19 last month with the following banner: "The people who used this bus in 29.1.2003 were on their way to work and to school. Some of them ever got there."

A number of people were also holding up Israeli flags.

Inside the city a march began of over 1,000 Jewish student organized by the Jewish Agency. They will be carrying pictures of the 927 victims of terror plus eight white posters signifying the latest victims of terror from Sunday's Jerusalem bus bombing. The students plan to arrive by noon at the Peace Palace, where they will hold a rally.

The police had allocated separate demonstration time outside of the Peace Palace for the Israeli and Palestinian parties. The Palestinians and their supported will demonstrated in the afternoon, when pro-Israeli demonstrators will not be allowed to stand in front of the palace.

However, there would be a number of demonstrations and rallies in other parts of the city.