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WORLD / Middle East
Change ordered in West Bank barrier
(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-05 11:21
BILIN, West Bank -- The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the
government to re-route a section of its West Bank separation barrier, a
defeat for the state after a 2 1/2-year legal battle that turned this
village into a flashpoint of opposition to the contentious structure.
Palestinians hold flags as they celebrate the Israeli Supreme Court's
resolution to redraw the route of Israel's separation barrier in the West
Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007. [AP]
Protesters gather every Friday in Bilin to protest the barrier that cuts
villagers off from their fields, and symbolically to oppose the whole
project. Dozens of demonstrators?- Israelis, Palestinians and
foreigners?- have been wounded in the weekly clashes with Israeli forces.
After the ruling was announced, Palestinian villagers poured out of homes
and schools and headed toward the fence, where several Israeli army jeeps
gathered. "They demolished the Berlin wall, we want to demolish the Bilin
wall," they chanted. Men waving Palestinian flags burst into a
traditional Arab dance and shouted, "Soldiers, go home."
Also Tuesday, a senior Israeli official called for cutting off water,
electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip because of daily rocket barrages,
and the Defense Ministry declared a state of emergency in Israeli
communities near Gaza, a step sometimes taken before a military
operation. The Israeli Security Cabinet will meet Wednesday to discuss
the issue, officials said.
The developments came as Tony Blair began his first working visit in his
new role as representative of the "Quartet" of Middle East mediators. The
former British prime minister scheduled meetings with Israeli and
Palestinian leaders and was expected to stay about 10 days. He will
report this month to the Quartet, which is comprised of the US, Russia,
the European Union and the UN.
Blair's mandate is limited to improving daily living conditions and
government in the Palestinian areas, though many regional players believe
he could play a pivotal role in wider peacemaking.
The West Bank barrier?- a combination of concrete walls, fences, trenches
and patrol roads?- has sparked clashes since its construction began at
the height of Palestinian-Israeli violence in 2002. Less than two-thirds
of it has been completed.
Dozens of court cases like the Bilin appeal have held up construction or
forced re-routing of completed sections. The high court usually rules in
favor of easing hardships caused to Palestinians and moving the route
closer to the "Green Line," the cease-fire line at the end of the 1948-49
war that followed Israel's creation.
The barrier is symbolic to both sides.
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