THE HAGUE, 19 February 2004 — The United States and European countries will not speak during hearings next week at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Israel’s West Bank barrier, the court said yesterday.
Both the US and the European Union have warned that the hearings at the ICJ, to determine the legal consequences of the barrier that Israel is building across the West Bank, could further undermine the peace process in the Middle East. Israel insists the 700-kilometer barrier is designed to keep out Palestinian suicide bombers but Palestinians argue it is a land grab and a form of apartheid. The ICJ said in a statement that 16 parties, including a Palestinian delegation, South Africa, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the League of Arab Nations, would speak at the hearings.
On Monday morning the Palestinians will deliver an oral presentation, which is scheduled to last three hours. On Monday afternoon, Tuesday and Wednesday the other delegations will have around 45 minutes each to speak.
Israel announced last week that it was boycotting the hearings at the Hague-based ICJ, the United Nations highest judiciary body, which was asked to give an “advisory opinion” on the barrier after the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for such a ruling in early December.
Israel, the United States and several European Union members are among the 44 states that have filed written submissions to the court.
The absence of those delegations at the hearings will not change the court’s proceedings. The ICJ takes all written and oral applications into account before coming to a final advisory opinion. No date has been set for a ruling.
