Israel questions court's right to rule on barrier issue
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Israel says the barrier is necessary to keep terrorists from entering from the West Bank; Palestinians call the structure a land grab.
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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The International Court of Justice should stay out of the dispute over a barrier Israel is building in the West Bank, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday.
A ruling from the court would cause "significant damage" to the "road map" peace plan promoted by the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia, the foreign ministry said.
The U.N. General Assembly voted last month to seek the international court's opinion on the legality of the barrier, which Israel says is necessary to keep out terrorists and which Palestinians have dismissed as a land grab.
Parties interested in the case had until Friday to submit affidavits to the court, based in The Hague, Netherlands. The court is scheduled to begin deliberations on the issue February 23.
The International Court of Justice is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. The court hears legal disputes submitted to it by U.N. member nations and gives advisory opinions on questions referred to it.
In an emergency session in October, the General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution demanding Israel halt construction of the barrier and remove what has already been built, saying it could harm the peace process. (Full story)
Israel promptly announced it would continue with the barrier's construction.
Although it has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on the matter, the United States has voted against the U.N. resolutions, saying they are counterproductive to the peace plan.
In some spots, the barrier is an electronic fence topped with razor wire and elsewhere a concrete wall. Israel has said it is necessary to stop Palestinian terrorists from entering the country.
Palestinians have said the barrier encroaches into their territory by incorporating some Israeli settlements. Many say the barrier has divided Palestinian land, forcing people to climb through gaps to shop and visit family.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday the court is not the "proper place to resolve the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict." The statement also said that the matter before the international court does not mention the terror attacks carried out by Palestinians.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said bringing the issue to the court isn't an attempt to resolve the conflict.
"Israel is building a wall on Palestinian territory," Erakat said. "The [International Court of Justice] has full jurisdiction to handle the issue of the wall, as it is not a political issue but a legal issue.
"I believe it is in flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and of the U.N. charter."
The barrier's route stretches north to south, much of it on the West Bank side of the "Green Line" -- the pre-1967 border between Israel and the West Bank, which was part of Jordan at the time of the Six-Day War.
The Israeli government began building the barrier last year. The plan calls for the barrier to stretch 217 miles (350 kilometers) at an estimated cost of $200 million.
