MUSCAT, 19 July 2004 — Last week, the International Court of Justice in The Hague delivered a strong indictment of the Israeli government over the illegal construction of a wall on Palestinian land.

The world court has very rightly rejected all the excuses, allegations and the so-called security concerns raised by Israel in its desperate and despicable attempt to give the racist wall some legitimacy.

In its decision, the court said the wall could not be justified on any ground — be it national security, public safety or military needs.

Continuation of the construction of the wall is a violation of international law, the world court stressed, adding that it is tantamount to de facto annexation of occupied land.

The racial wall will block the Palestinian citizens’ freedom of movement and their right to work and receiving health and educational services.

The court has asked Israel to stop construction immediately and ordered it to pay compensation to the Palestinian people for the hardship they had suffered.

The world court’s decision has been welcomed and supported by all the countries of the world. But, as usual, there was just one exception — the United States that sprang to the defense of its trusted ally, saying it was inappropriate on the part of the world court to issue the ruling!

We know that what the US has done is nothing more than reinforcing its well-known policy: “Whatever Israel rejects, America rejects, too.”

This is not the first time the US has supported Israel even when the rest of the world voiced its collective condemnation of the Jewish state — the US has, in fact, opposed and defeated each and every initiative taken by international organizations against Israel.

Not surprisingly, the American government’s position has not found acceptance even among its citizens. Nor was it taken kindly by the European Union, which immediately asked the Israeli government to execute the ruling of the world court.

More than one European country has announced its readiness to muster international support on the decision when the file is referred to the UN General Assembly and to exercise pressure on Israel to implement the decision.

Nonetheless, Israel has, before the file reached the General Assembly, declared its absolute rejection of the ruling, sticking to its often-repeated excuse, which was mouthed by its representative at the UN: “The decision has ignored all the military operations conducted by the Palestinian groups, which pose constant threat to Israel’s security”.

The international court’s ruling on the illegal wall is significant in more ways than one. It is the first time that an international authority has admitted so very openly that Israel is an occupying force breaching international law and Geneva conventions.

The world court, in its ruling on the Israeli barrier, has stated that “the land occupied by Israel for 37 years has been subjected to its territorial rules as an occupation force and, therefore, it is obliged not to erect any barrier that would hamper the execution of these rights”.

The world court decision, no doubt, is a victory for the Palestinian people, even if it may not make any real change on the ground. It is bound to open a door of hope to the Palestinian people who could utilize international support to pitch for their cause at the UN General Assembly, scheduled to meet soon.

We believe that it is high time the UN imposed economic sanctions on Israel, which had rebelled for more than 30 years against international resolutions and decisions.

It is just not right on the part of the UN to impose sanctions on weak states while ignoring Israeli atrocities.

Is Israel a strong state because it possesses nuclear weapons and, therefore, the UN would not dare to impose sanctions on it?

(Essa bin Mohammed Al-Zedjali is editor in chief of The Times of Oman.)