Posted on 02/08/2004 3:30:03 PM PST by yonif
The Arab League will accuse Israel of violating the Geneva Conventions on human rights by building a barrier along the Palestinian territories during hearings at the International Court of Justice later this month, the organization's top official said Sunday.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the 22-member organization will argue that the suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people by dividing their towns and villages breaks international law.
The United Nations General Assembly has asked the court, the U.N.'s highest judiciary, for a so-called advisory opinion on "the legal consequences of the barrier."
Although its position won't be binding, a week of public hearings scheduled to start Feb. 23 could have important consequences for international opinion on the barrier.
"This opinion will be broadcast and known to everybody and, let us see, if international law is not to be respected, we will have to draw our own conclusions," Moussa said from his office in downtown Cairo.
Israel says the barrier, a 710-kilometer (440-mile) complex of trenches, fences, concrete walls, razor wire and electronic sensors, is intended to protect its citizens from suicide bombers. The Palestinians call it a land grab that will disrupt tens of thousands of lives.
The Arab League is among more than 40 organizations and nations that have already filed written arguments with the court in its highest profile case since it considered the legality of nuclear weapons in 1996.
Other participants in this case include Jordan, the United States, Russia and Israel. The Palestinian Authority has been allowed to submit arguments even though it is not a recognized state, and the court also accepted submissions from the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference.
"Our position is based on international law, with a special reference to international humanitarian law that governs territories under occupation," Moussa said. "The successive Israeli governments have refused to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention to the occupied territories, therefore there is a legal point here."
The Fourth Geneva Convention aims to ensure the protection of civilians during war or under occupation.
Moussa said the court's decision should be respected "absolutely."
"I believe the International Court of Justice will uphold the law and not succumb to any pressure. I'm sure of that," he said.
Responding to an Israeli vows earlier Sunday to alter the route of the barrier to lessen hardships for Palestinians and gain support of the United States, Moussa said: "What is before the International Court of Justice is not the length of the wall, it is the wall itself."
"We do not judge them by their words, but by their deeds," he said.
Moussa rejected Israeli claims that taking the case before The Hague court will damage the peace process.
"This is a laughable argument. There is no process to speak of. Show me where an effective peace process is," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Before The Hague hearings, Israel faces another legal challenge on Monday, when the Israeli Supreme Court hears a case brought by Israeli civil-rights activists challenging the barrier's route.
Killing Jews is part of Palestinian cultural heritage. We must embrace them with the arms of diversity.
Also, fence doesn't protect Israel from Kassam rockets, which will now have a longer range, and also won't protect infiltrations from the sea nor tunnels.
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