July 16, 2004/Tamuz 27 5764, Vol. 56, No. 43
Get off the fenceEditorialOnce again, it is time for the Jewish community to stand up and be counted. The latest threat to Israel emanated from The Hague, where the International Court of Justice declared on June 9 that Israel's security fence is illegal and must be dismantled. The finding is non-binding, but Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat hailed it as "a victory for justice."The very mandate that the United Nations sent to the ICJ foretold the decision. The General Assembly asked the court last December to prepare an advisory opinion on the "legal consequences arising from construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian territory." Here's the rub: More than 90 percent of the barrier is a fence and can be moved. And Israel does not consider the West Bank "Occupied Palestinian territory" but rather "disputed territory," the status of which must be determined in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Writing in The New York Times on July 13, Israeli finance minister and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out the fences have proven highly effective against terrorism. Israel has offered statistics that show a dramatic decrease in the number of terrorist attacks since the fence was constructed. At last report, no Israeli had been killed or wounded by suicide bombings in areas protected by the fence, while suicide attacks in unfenced areas have killed 19 Israeli citizens and wounded 102. The issue of the fence may be leading to some political fence-mending in Jerusalem. Hawkish Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has invited his political rival Shimon Peres, the Jewish state's most prominent dove, to bring Peres' left-leaning Labor Party into the faltering government coalition. Both the White House and the presumed Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) have weighed in, denouncing the International Court of Justice and voicing support of Israel. So how does an American Jew stand up to be counted? By staying informed of developments and contacting your congressional representative. On Capitol Hill the same day that the ICJ issued its opinion in The Hague, the House Appropriations Committee approved the foreign aid bill for fiscal year 2005. The measure allocates $2.58 billion in assistance for Israel, including $2.22 billion for military assistance. Urge your representative in the U.S. House to support aid to Israel. |
