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July 16, 2004/Tamuz 27 5764, Vol. 56, No. 43
Israel advocates go on offensive
RACHEL POMERANCE
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NEW YORK - American Jewish officials are launching a media and diplomatic offensive to limit damage from the International Court of Justice's opinion that Israel's West Bank security barrier is illegal.
But it's not clear the strategy will work. Seven months after the U.N. General Assembly called on the U.N. court to judge the legal consequences of Israel's "wall," the ICJ issued a non-binding advisory opinion July 9 that Israel must tear down the barrier and pay reparations to Palestinians affected by its construction. The only dissenter in the court's 14-1 ruling was the American judge, a Holocaust survivor.
The opinion asks "all states not to recognize the illegal situation resulting from construction of the wall and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by such construction."
Israeli officials were especially chagrined that the court issued no criticism of the thousands of Palestinian terrorist attacks that prompted Israel to build the fence.
The opinion, which is non-binding, doesn't include sanctions against Israel. But its power lies in the use Israel's enemies can make of it - and that's what Jewish officials want to fight.
The Palestinians have called a special emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly for Friday to consider a resolution demanding that Israel comply with the opinion. That eventually could lead to a vote in the U.N. Security Council, which has the power to impose and enforce sanctions.
Because the Arab-backed resolution that asked for the court opinion got only lukewarm backing - it passed the General Assembly by a 90-8 vote, with 74 abstentions - Israel supporters plan to target countries that had reservations about the hearing.
Many countries, including much of Europe, argued against tainting the court with a political issue and diverting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
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