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Bil'in residents celebrating the High Court of Justice's ruling Tuesday. (Tomer Appelbaum / BauBau)
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Last update - 21:34 04/09/2007
Court orders state to alter West Bank separation fence route at Bil'in
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent, and news agencies

The High Court of Justice Tuesday ordered the state to redraw, partially dismantle and rebuild the route of a 1.7 kilometer section of the West Bank separation fence, which was built on land belonging to Bil'in, a Palestinian village which has become a focus of opposition to the barrier.

For nearly three years, the fence has been at the focus of weekly demonstrations at Bil'in, punctuated by violent confrontations between protesters and soldiers and police deployed at the site.

The existing fence route is built around a part of the Matitiyahu East neighborhood of Modi'in Illit settlement. The government had argued that the route was necessary to protect residents of Modi'in Illit, and completed the section of fence that cut through Bil'in despite the protests.

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The three-judge panel, headed by Chief Justice Dorit Beinish, unanimously accepted an appeal petition by the head of the Bil'in local council against the route of the fence and its presence on land belonging to the village. They ordered defense planners to change the barrier's route so it causes less harm
to the village's residents

The fence occupies 260 dunams of village land. It also blocks access to another 1,700 dunams between the barrier and the pre-1967 Green Line border.

Residents of the village went to court arguing that the current route, built on village land, kept them from their fields and orchards, which remained on the other side of the barrier.

Rejecting the government's argument, Beinish wrote in her decision that "We were not convinced that it is necessary for security-military reasons to retain the current route that passes on Bil'in's lands."

The judges specified that this will require destroying the existing fence in certain places and building a new one, and ordered the government to come up with a new route in a reasonable period of time.

Abdullah Abu Rahma, one of the leaders of the weekly protest at Bil'in, called the court decision "wonderful."

"We want the decision to be implemented immediately," he said.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that it would study the ruling and respect it.

Israel began building the 680-kilometer (425-mile) barrier along the West Bank in 2002, crediting the fence with contribuiting to a decline in suicide bombings. But the barrier juts into West Bank territory, provoking Palestinian claims that Israel is using security arguments to mask a land grab.
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  1.   Checks and balances 12:26  |  Yonatan 04/09/07
  2.   Where are the loathing responses? 12:37  |  Nobody 04/09/07
  3.   Peaceful protest OK 13:10  |  English Resident 04/09/07
  4.   But will the order be implemented? 13:21  |  David James Vickery 04/09/07
  5.   A REPLY TO #2 13:43  |  Brant 04/09/07
  6.   Israel, for those who have not it yet, is a society and a 14:08  |  Dafna 04/09/07
  7.   Will the Israeli Apartheid regime implement change though 14:22  |  Stephen Murray 04/09/07
  8.   Curruption at it`s fineist 14:24  |  Sam Weinstein 04/09/07
  9.   Suggestion 14:37  |  Gene 04/09/07
  10.   Sam, are you suggesting... 14:42  |  David James Vickery 04/09/07
  11.   Nobody #2 15:00  |  Somebody 04/09/07
  12.   #2 Nobody 15:08  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  13.   #6 dafna 15:17  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  14.   tiny bit of justice 15:21  |  by gum 04/09/07
  15.   a small ray of light...we hope 15:28  |  Josh Goldman 04/09/07
  16.   FAKE DEMOCRACY 15:41  |  indrajaya 04/09/07
  17.   more comedy from the left wing judges 15:46  |  victor hardman 04/09/07
  18.   Strange But A Start 15:47  |  Abe 04/09/07
  19.   THE APARTHEID WALL- to Dafna or is it Daft-a 15:55  |  sean semple 04/09/07
  20.   #8 Sam Weinstein 16:01  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  21.   An All powerful Supreme Court 16:05  |  Yoav Naor 04/09/07
  22.   NEVER WILL THERE BE A TERRORIST 16:07  |  THE PROPHET 04/09/07
  23.   To somebody 16:10  |  sean semple 04/09/07
  24.   dafna 16:12  |  realism 04/09/07
  25.   Labhras - Why do you dislike Jews? What have we done to you? 16:15  |  Dina 04/09/07
  26.   #4, #5 and #12 - Sadly the ruling will be stonewalled 16:16  |  Don Camillo 04/09/07
  27.   WOW! I am shocked and very much impressed 16:18  |  American 3 04/09/07
  28.   #16 - Indrajaya 16:19  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  29.   When we reclaim all Israel, the ghetto walls will go down forever 16:31  |  Chaim 04/09/07
  30.   Who runs Israel? 16:35  |  Clickfool 04/09/07
  31.   #17 Big-OT in Bed-fast shouting again. 16:38  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  32.   To Maurice - Montreal 16:42  |  indrajaya 04/09/07
  33.   Wall 16:53  |  Matthew 04/09/07
  34.   Ibrahim from Michigan, why have you changed your name to 16:53  |  Lilian 04/09/07
  35.   #25 Dina 17:02  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  36.   And damages... 17:05  |  Murray 04/09/07
  37.   It won`t be real until the military actually 17:06  |  spyguy 04/09/07
  38.   #25 Dina 17:08  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  39.   Putting it in perspective 17:12  |  Shlomo 04/09/07
  40.   #22 Prophet 17:19  |  Baal 04/09/07
  41.   #26 and Israeli Democracy 17:29  |  Polybios 04/09/07
  42.   #29 - Indrajaya 17:37  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  43.   #28 - Clickfool 17:42  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  44.   Biased and Stacked 17:46  |  Double Click 04/09/07
  45.   Licking the Butt of the Islamists 17:47  |  GZLives 04/09/07
  46.   #30 Lillian where do you live???. 17:47  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  47.   Labhras - You don`t need to tell us you have something against us 18:04  |  Dina 04/09/07
  48.   Israel´s real power center 18:18  |  Klas 04/09/07
  49.   #43 Maurice in Montreal, re Clickfool 18:46  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  50.   #45 - GZLives 18:49  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  51.   #26 Don Camillo quick question 18:54  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  52.   Sean No 23 19:05  |  somebody 04/09/07
  53.   #19 - sean 19:08  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  54.   The "supreme" court... 19:17  |  Jew 04/09/07
  55.   Sean from Ireland 19:19  |  somebody 04/09/07
  56.   Ah!! Sean Simple from Derry - watch your language 19:23  |  Bilin no more 04/09/07
  57.   no arguments, only accusations 19:28  |  Ben Sina 04/09/07
  58.   #47 Dina 19:29  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  59.   #49 - Labrhas 19:44  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  60.   To Labhras who is in Ireland 19:48  |  z 04/09/07
  61.   Ripped off and terrorized? 20:03  |  Zvi 04/09/07
  62.   #49 - Labhras (one more note for you) 20:04  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  63.   The high court is putting their nose where it doesn`t belong! 20:13  |  Avraham 04/09/07
  64.   Labrhas, if so many people here have noticed 20:24  |  Rani Kidron 04/09/07
  65.   Irish and other poison 20:50  |  Wade 04/09/07
  66.   #59 Maurice in Montreal 20:54  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  67.   Tzvi #61 21:05  |  Mary 04/09/07
  68.   #53 Maurice re sean post 19 21:11  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  69.   Ireland and equal education 21:13  |  Mozie 04/09/07
  70.   #60 ZZZZZZZ 21:23  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  71.   Like a dying scorpion Beinish takes revenge on Israel 21:48  |  Absolute Sweden 04/09/07
  72.   The wall 21:51  |  B 04/09/07
  73.   The PROPHET - Why was Israel lost again and again? 22:24  |  Wandering Jew 04/09/07
  74.   Ich bin ein Bili`iner 22:25  |  wibism 04/09/07
  75.   z 22:27  |  HuH?! 04/09/07
  76.   #66 Mozie 22:41  |  Labhras 04/09/07
  77.   Rani Kidron, on tormenting 23:14  |  Ibrahim 04/09/07
  78.   #63 AVRAHAM 23:25  |  Courcey 04/09/07
  79.   #76labarse and irish apartheid catholics and non catholics 23:32  |  victor hardman 04/09/07
  80.   #66 & 68 Labhras 23:52  |  Maurice 04/09/07
  81.   #64 Rani Kidron 00:02  |  Labhras 05/09/07
  82.