World - Reuters
Annan Urges Israel to Tear Down West Bank Barrier
Date: Wed, Jul 21, 2004
By Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israel should heed a World Court ruling that it was legally obligated to tear down its West Bank barrier despite its unhappiness with the judgment, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) said on Wednesday.
The U.N. leader also called on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) to capitalize on burgeoning unrest in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) by carrying out security reforms long demanded by international Middle East peace mediators.
"I hope Chairman Arafat will see the need in supporting this sort of reform at this stage, to be able to move the process forward," Annan told a news conference.
"I really hope that as difficult and as complicated as the crisis is in Palestine, that they will exploit this crisis positively and move ahead and really come up with some of the reform structures which are required, particularly in the security area," he said.
Annan was commenting on mounting chaos in the streets of Gaza, triggered by widespread unhappiness with a Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) widely seen as corrupt and resistant to reform.
Concerning the West Bank barrier, Israel vowed to press ahead with its construction on Wednesday despite the U.N. General Assembly's adoption of a resolution demanding that it be torn down, in line with a nonbinding advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
Israeli officials says the array of razor-tipped fences and concrete walls is needed to keep out Palestinian suicide bombers while Palestinians condemn it as an "apartheid wall" that takes away land they want for a future independent state.
The General Assembly resolution, like the court opinion, is not legally binding but carries symbolic weight.
Only the 15-nation Security Council could take action against Israel in case of noncompliance. But the United States, Israel's closest ally, would be certain to use its council veto power to protect the Jewish state.
Annan said it was clear Israel was unhappy with the court judgment and the resolution but that was not the point.
"Obviously they don't like it, but the Israeli (Supreme) Court itself also came up with a decision on the route of the barrier, and asked them to change it because of its impact on the Palestinians," he said.
"So one cannot say that the international court was entirely wrong," he said. "I think they should heed and pay attention to the court's decision. Even though it is not enforceable, it has some bearing on what they do."
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