ICC Expected to Rule It's Illegal for Israel to Protect Itself
by Chad Groening and Jody Brown
February 26, 2004
(AgapePress) - An Israeli author and Middle East expert says he doesn't expect the U.N. International Criminal Court to rule in his country's favor on the question of whether the Israeli security fence is "legal."Testimony has wrapped up in The Hague, Netherlands, with the Arab League claiming the Israeli defense barrier is a violation of international law. One Palestinian delegation leader said the construction of the wall was an illegal occupation of Palestinian land, denied Palestinians their rights, and destroyed the chance of peace. (See Earlier Related Article)
Israel, which says the ICC has no jurisdiction, boycotted the three days of testimony because the hearing failed to address the issue of Palestinian terrorism. But the Israeli Foreign Ministry did send one piece of evidence: the mangled wreckage of a vehicle blown up by a homicide bomber. That display was the centerpiece of a pro-Israel demonstration on Monday.
Israeli terrorism expert Victor Mordecai says there is very little doubt how the court will rule.
"The fear is that this decision by the Hague court, if it indeed comes against Israel -- and we expect it to, because that's what the U.N. always does; we have absolutely no illusions as to the outcome of the meeting there -- is that eventually the Palestinians will take the anti-Israel decision of this Hague court to the U.N. and have the United Nations General Assembly vote sanctions against Israel," he says.
Mordecai says the court has shown a blatant double-standard by putting Israel on trial for defending itself but not holding countries like the Sudan accountable for real atrocities.
The security wall, which is being constructed around the West Bank, will be 700 kilometers long (about 435 miles) when finished. Most portions of the barrier will consist of electronically monitored fences and "exclusion zones," but some sections will be constructed of concrete. The ICC's ruling on the security fence will not be binding, but it could influence international public opinion.
