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Last update - 18:49 08/07/2009
UN: Israel must tear down West Bank fence
By DPA
Tags: Separation Fence, West Bank 

The United Nations demanded Wednesday that Israel implement a five-year-old ruling of its International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague that deemed most of the West Bank separation fence illegal.

The fence severely restricts the movement of tens of thousands of Palestinians, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told a news conference in Jerusalem, marking the fifth anniversary of the ICJ advisory opinion.

Some 85 per cent of it was built inside the West Bank, and not on the Green Line.
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Some 35,000 Palestinians are trapped in the closed area between the fence and the Green Line, some 10,000 of whom need special permanent resident permits to enter the West Bank.

Palestinians wishing to enter the closed area for family, economic, health or educational reasons need visitor permits, which are difficult to obtain from the Israeli government, OCHA said.

"Life of people in the West Bank and in the closed area is reduced to a piece of paper," Michael Baily, of the British NGO Oxfam, told the news conference, referring to the permits.

He urged the international community to pressure Israel toward implementing the ICJ advisory opinion.

Five years after the ruling, Israel is continuing construction of the barrier and has added another 200 kilometers to it, OCHA said. So far, 413 out of a total 709 kilometers of the barrier are ready.

It charged that the route Israel was choosing for the barrier was "not necessary to attain its security measures."

Israel decided to build the barrier at the height of an unprecedented wave of suicide bombings in 2002. It says it is choosing the route to protect as many Israeli citizens as possible, including settlers.
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  1.   There would be no fence if not for Palestinian terrorism 19:02  |  IW 08/07/09
  2.   the UN needs to demand that the Pals stop suicide bombs and armed 19:08  |  Tear down UN 08/07/09
  3.   Tearing down the fence 19:15  |  philtlucre 08/07/09
  4.   "Tear Down the Security Fence" 19:28  |  Col [Res] Cohen 08/07/09
  5.   The barrier IS a violation of Palestinian rights... 19:36  |  citizen 08/07/09
  6.   Move it to the Green Line 19:56  |  Ahmed 08/07/09
  7.   Doesn`t the UN realize how meaningless their rulings are? 20:00  |  Scott 08/07/09
  8.   UN lol 20:16  |  Arie 08/07/09
  9.   Let Oxfam put its own lives on the line 20:18  |  T. Traub 08/07/09
  10.   Security fence saves lives! 20:36  |  MMM 08/07/09
  11.   UN is violating international law 20:40  |  Gee 08/07/09
  12.   the un can go to hell 20:42  |  daniel yefet 08/07/09
  13.   Tear down the UN 20:58  |  Susan 08/07/09
  14.   Who Will Make Them Do It? 21:11  |  Cool B 08/07/09
  15.   #1 IW 21:14  |  Cool B 08/07/09
  16.   The fence 21:14  |  Yariv 08/07/09
  17.   MOVE IT TO THE GREEN LINE! 21:17  |  un2here 08/07/09
  18.   #4 Who are you ? 21:18  |  Silex 08/07/09
  19.   Scott - Israel will soon learn better 21:31  |  Don Boston 08/07/09
  20.   Green line is not and never was a border, Ahmed 21:48  |  Netanel 08/07/09
  21.   Abraham`s People 21:54  |  John Butler 08/07/09
  22.   Life with papers or death as grounded meat. 21:57  |  Fortuna Benmayor 08/07/09
  23.   Judea/Samaria never really existed 21:59  |  thomas 08/07/09
  24.   Mr Bibi, tear down that WALL (it`s hardly a `fence`) 22:05  |  Nancy R. 08/07/09
  25.   Just be a Good neighbours move your WALLS to 67 Lines. 22:18  |  Manolito 08/07/09
  26.   Col [Res] Cohen 22:22  |  had enough 08/07/09
  27.   #1 There`d be no terrorism without Field of Thorns, Magic Tune 22:24  |  Jordan Vinson 08/07/09
  28.   The Start, Ahmed, Would Be Pals Compensating 22:48  |  Brad 08/07/09
  29.   Don Boston 22:56  |  Brad 08/07/09
  30.   Peace negates the need for walls. 23:01  |  James Hovland 08/07/09
  31.   Security Fence New border of Israel 23:10  |  Avi Yerushalmi 08/07/09
  32.   Security Fence New border of Israel 23:10  |  Avi Yerushalmi 08/07/09
  33.   Due to this wall suicide bombers were reduced by 98% since 2002 23:16  |  Marcelo 08/07/09
  34.   There would be no fence if not for Palestinian terrorism 23:45  |  APG 08/07/09
  35.   Even better, Thomas #19, there never was a "Palestine" 23:46  |  Joe Sittizen 08/07/09
  36.   # 16 netanel 23:51  |  Axel 08/07/09
  37.   The Wall 00:25  |  Carl Mathis 09/07/09
  38.   There is border between US and Canada 00:43  |  Tom 09/07/09
  39.   Give one reason NOT to build it on the green line 02:16  |  Apa 09/07/09
  40.   Property before people 02:42  |  RfaelMoshe 09/07/09
  41.   #1 IW There would be no Palestinian terrorism 03:13  |  hala 09/07/09
  42.   Un without teath 03:44  |  Confused 09/07/09
  43.   Fence 03:53  |  bob 09/07/09
  44.   Mr. Netanyorbachev, tear down the wall. 04:13  |  Joseph Steinberg 09/07/09
  45.   I Still Think The Fence Is A Good Idea... 04:46  |  Yosemite 09/07/09
  46.   Apa: I will take that dare 04:56  |  Jasper 09/07/09
  47.   #16 And he never said that it was, Netanel 05:01  |  Johnboy 09/07/09
  48.   Why not on Green line? Less chance for an extra land grab! 05:02  |  Hannah 09/07/09
  49.   IW, It`s Not The Fence: It`s The Location of the Fence 05:25  |  Reader 09/07/09
  50.   #15 Don Boston 05:34  |  Thomas 09/07/09
  51.   ahmed 05:41  |  Michelle 09/07/09
  52.   Apa 05:49  |  Brad 09/07/09
  53.   Confuse 05:53  |  Brad 09/07/09
  54.   Fance in Mexico 05:54  |  Michelle 09/07/09
  55.   Joseph: You can keep faith 05:58  |  Brad 09/07/09
  56.   FENCE SHMENS, 06:35  |  charro 09/07/09
  57.   the UN is a worthless organization 06:41  |  cachanilla 09/07/09
  58.   #44 Poor effort, Jasper. 10:46  |  Johnboy 09/07/09
  59.   #29 Not even the Israel High Court accepts that claim, Avi 11:15  |  Johnboy 09/07/09
  60.   The real underlying problem 19:20  |  Wendy 09/07/09
  61.   Michelle 02:46  |  Ryan 10/07/09
  62.   Johnboy`s Eloquence 03:29  |  Fish 10/07/09
  63.   HANNAH because security barriers do not necessarily follow border 03:39  |  PETER SM 10/07/09
  64.   UN must tear down Arab/Islamist terrorism& incitement to murder 03:42  |  PETER SM 10/07/09
  65.   JESUSALEN 03:58  |  JESUSALEN 10/07/09
  66.   It`s still stealing, stupid!!! 05:21  |  Cherie 11/07/09
  67.   No annexationist intent 17:08  |  The Prophet 12/08/09
  68.   No annexationist intent 17:11  |  The Prophet 12/08/09
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