JERUSALEM, 1 July 2004 — Siding with the Palestinians, Israel’s Supreme Court yesterday ordered the Israeli government to reroute a key section of the West Bank wall near Jerusalem because it causes too much Palestinian suffering.
The precedent-setting decision — the first major legal ruling on the wall — cracked a cornerstone of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to “disengage” from the Palestinians by 2005.
Israel’s deputy defense minister, Zeev Boim, said the ruling would delay completion of the wall, which Israel says is crucial for keeping out bombers. “Now there will be a court appeal on every meter of the fence,” Boim told Israel TV’s Channel One.
The court said the wall must be rerouted, even at the cost of Israeli security. Several officials decried the ruling as a security menace, but the Defense Ministry — which oversees the wall’s construction — said it would comply. The court forced the government to return land that has been seized and compensate the Palestinians for their financial losses. The decision makes it less likely the government finish the project by next year, as initially planned.
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks and troops sealed off the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoon as they stepped up an operation yesterday, which is designed to end the firing of rockets on southern Israel and is expected to last months.
One Palestinian teenager was killed and 10 other people were wounded in the violence as the sound of gunfire and shelling echoed throughout the day while helicopter gunships were seen flying overhead.
Army bulldozers could be seen digging up the main road in the town after massive piles of sand were dumped at the main entrances to Beit Hanoon.
