JERUSALEM, 12 July 2004 — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday denounced Friday’s World Court verdict on the wall and ordered its construction to continue.

Hours after a Palestinian bomb killed a female soldier and injured 32 others at a Tel Aviv bus stop, Sharon said: “The murderous act that was carried out this morning was the first to occur under the patronage of the World Court’s decision. What the judges of the court refused to see, the Palestinians wasted no time in showing this morning, with the murder and maiming of innocent people.”

The International Court of Justice in The Hague said in the non-binding verdict that the wall was illegal and parts already built on Palestinian territory should be dismantled and compensation paid to the affected families.

“The state of Israel totally rejects the opinion of the World Court,” Sharon said. “The ruling totally ignores the reason behind the construction of the security barrier which is Palestinian terrorism.”

Sharon yesterday met with senior Cabinet ministers, security officers and the attorney general to discuss the fallout from the World Court ruling. He ordered construction of the barrier to continue, Sharon’s office said in a statement.

The prime minister also decided to fight the court decision with “all diplomatic and legal means,” the statement said.

Israel does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction in the case, and has asked the United States to block UN action.

Washington has often used its veto in the Security Council to block resolutions critical of Israel. US officials have said they disagree with the world court on the issue and that they believe no further UN action is necessary.

Palestinian leaders indicated they were in no rush to seek a binding Security Council resolution on the wall because of an expected US veto. The emerging consensus at a Palestinian Cabinet meeting was to hold off on Security Council action until after the US election in November, participants said.

After the meeting, chaired by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Abu Annaja said a legal committee would be formed to discuss the Palestinians’ next move.

Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei said that peace could only come to the region once the barrier had been torn down.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that Israel should abide by international law as interpreted by the court.

“I think the decision of the court is clear,” he told reporters in Bangkok, where he attended a world AIDS conference.

“Whilst we all accept the government of Israel has a responsibility — and indeed the duty — to protect its citizens, any action it takes has to be in conformity with international law and has to respect the interest of the Palestinians.

“The report has been given to the General Assembly and we’ll see where they go from there,” he added.

In the Tel Aviv attack, a two-kilo bomb filled with sharp pieces of metal was detonated early in the day as a bus pulled up at a stop near central bus station.

Bus driver Eyal Gazit said he initially thought the bomb was on his bus. “Suddenly a large boom, a cloud of black and all the bus was covered... the windows blew out,” he told Israel’s Army Radio. “There were screams... the passengers were jumping over each other trying to escape from the bus.”

A 19-year-old female soldier was killed, the army said. Police said 32 people were hurt. Hospital officials said five people suffered serious injuries, with the remainder treated for shock or light wounds.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a group linked to Fatah, claimed responsibility and said it was avenging Israel’s killing of fighters and civilians recently in the Gaza Strip. “This says that we can reach every place, even when there is a fence,” said an Al-Aqsa spokesman in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Palestinian officials condemned the attack. “We are against all bombings like this,” said Arafat.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat condemned “the targeting of civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli.”

— Additional input from agencies