OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 19 March 2004 — In a victory for Palestinians, Israel’s Supreme Court has imposed an open-ended freeze on construction of a 25-km section of the country’s contentious West Bank separation barrier.
The court issued its order on Wednesday in response to a complaint by Palestinian and Israeli opponents of the barrier, said their lawyer Mohammed Dahla.
The opponents say the planned route of the barrier will severely disrupt the lives of 30,000 Palestinians living in the area.
Dahla said he had submitted a report by an outside group of former Israeli military officials questioning the planned route. The report says the current route goes far beyond security considerations, and that a less intrusive path would be equally effective at protecting Israelis, he said.
The court ordered the Israeli military to respond to the report, and extended a freeze first imposed Feb. 29 until it hears back from the army, Dahla said. The court did not schedule another hearing on the matter, he added.
“I think it’s a victory,” Dahla said. “I think the Supreme Court in a way has started not to believe the story that is being told by the army. I think the doubt is there. The wall is not only about security.”
The order affects an area around eight Palestinian villages northwest of Jerusalem. About 30 residents of the nearby Israeli town of Mevasseret Zion have also joined the challenge.
— Additional input from agencies
