West Bank wall must come down

Israel was today told to rip down its controversial West Bank wall.

The International Court of Justice decided by an overwhelming majority that the fence is illegal. It said the barrier must be dismantled and compensation paid to Palestinians whose property was confiscated.

The document said that the barrier - a 425-mile-long complex of high concrete walls, razor-wire fences, trenches and watch towers - infringed the rights of Palestinians living on land occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

The ruling, which is widely expected to be ignored by Israel, said: "The infringements resulting from that route cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements of national security or public order."

It added that on the basis of the evidence available to it, the court was "not convinced the specific course Israel has chosen for the wall was necessary to attain its security objectives".

It said: "The construction of such a wall accordingly constitutes breaches by Israel of its various obligations under the appl icable internat ional humanitarian law and human rights instruments."

The court's 15 judges passed the verdict by a majority of 14 to one. Its sole opponent was an American judge, Thomas Burghenthal. Israel says the barrier, of which about a quarter has been built, is needed to stop Palestinian suicide bombers, who have killed hundreds of Israelis in the last four years.

It points to the sharp drop in successful infiltration attempts from the West Bank since the barrier has been partly built, and to the fact that there have been almost none from Gaza, which has been surrounded by a fence for years. Palestinians say the barrier imposes intolerable hardships on innocent people, separating them from schools, agricultural fields and workplaces.

At the Palestinians' request, the UN General Assembly asked the International Court in The Hague last December for its opinion on the legality of the barrier. Its verdict will be presented to the UN.

The court rejected Israel's argument that it had no jurisdiction in the case. It also brushed aside arguments from the United States and several European countries that its intervention could disrupt the US-initiated Middle East peace process known as the "road map".

Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat said he had full confidence in the court.

He said: "I believe the court in The Hague is capable of stopping the construction of the fence that damages our people."