Netanyahu, Shalom critical of fence section's demolition

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized at a Sunday cabinet meeting the timing of a decision to dismantle an eight-kilometer stretch of the separation fence east of Baka al-Sharkiyeh, which Israel began tearing down Sunday morning, a day before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague opens hearings into the legality of the project.

Netanyahu said that "the timing of the decision to dismantle was a serious mistake."

"It could have been done any other time," he said, "but doing so near the start of the international court's hearing makes it appear as though a criminal is trying to minimize the severity of his crime."

Shalom said he would not choose the eve of the start of the international court's discussions as the date for the dismantling, and added that the "decision to demolish the fence is bad, despite the fact that there is no link between the decision and the discussions in The Hague."

Security forces were closing off the passage between the West Bank town of Baka al-Sharkiyeh and Baka al-Garbiyeh on Sunday, preventing hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis from crossing over between the two "Bakas".

Defense Ministry Director-General Major General (res.) Amos Yaron said Saturday that Israel never intended to annex Baka al-Sharkiyeh, which is home to thousands of Palestinians. The fence was built east of the town due to security needs that have subsequently been resolved, Yaron added.

He added that the decision to to dismantle the section of the fence was made a long time ago, and that it had no connection to the fence deliberations at The Hague.

However, Army Radio on Saturday quoted Israeli sources as saying that the move "is definitely connected to the opening of discussions [Monday] about the fence at the International Court of Justice in The Hague."

The original plan called for the barrier to run between the two "Bakas," following the 1967 Green Line border. Until the 1967 Six-Day War, the border ran between Baka al-Garbiyeh and Baka al-Sharkiyeh. Since 1967, the two towns have grown closer - some houses from the two towns adjoin one another. Initial work on the fence established that 40 illegally built homes were located on the route marked off for the barrier.

Channel 10 television said Friday that the demolition will cost Israel $8 million, or about $1 million per kilometer.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told Army Radio on Sunday that Israel will continue building the fence regardless of the ICJ deliberations. He described the construction of the fence as a "security move, intended to prevent the terror attacks we have been experiencing for the past three years."

"On second thoughts, it is possible that we should have done it at a different time," Shalom added.

Palestinian External Affairs Minister Nabil Sha'ath said Saturday that Palestinian initiatives have started producing pressure on Israel to remove the West Bank separation fence. "This work should continue until all the wall is removed," he said, referring to the decision to remove the Baka al-Sharkiyeh fence.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said Saturday that the decision did not go far enough, telling reporters: "We will not agree to even one millimeter of the barrier."

Hague mayor: Israeli embassy jeopardizing public orderThe mayor of The Hague, W.J. (Wim) Deetman, said over the weekend that he believes Israel's embassy in the city is trying to undermine arrangements instituted to maintain public order in anticipation of the International Court of Justice debate.

The embassy, Deetman claims, has jeopardized these arrangements by relaying pictures of 927 terror victims to the "Christians for Israel" organization.

The mayor has tried to stop the Christian group from holding a quiet march in The Hague on Monday. The organization plans to have vigil participants hold the portraits of the terror victims provided by the Israeli embassy.

In Deetman's view, the pictures will spark confrontations with pro-Palestinian demonstrators and thereby disrupt public order. He has also requested police reinforcements ahead of the event.

On Saturday night, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement criticizing Deetman. Israel is stunned that a top political official in a country with which it has friendly relations views the presentation of photos of terror victims as a provocation, the statement said. It also upbraided Deetman for not including a single word in denunciation of terror in his remarks about Israel's embassy.

"We totally reject the accusations against Israel's embassy in The Hague, which is acting in accord with the laws of the Netherlands, and with normal diplomatic procedure," the Foreign Ministry stated.

The European Union member states and the United States will not participate after questioning the authority of the court to rule on the issue. Turkey also announced Friday it was changing its plans and would not take part in the formal hearings.

The official Israeli delegation was due to arrive in the Netherlands on Sunday. The delegates plan to hold a press conference at 1 P.M., in which terror victims and their families will talk with foreign press representatives.

A passenger bus severely damaged in last month's suicide bombing in Jerusalem is currently being stored at an Amsterdam airport, and will later be put on display as part of Israeli efforts to show the need for the barrier.

The ICJ has rejected the request of terror attack victims to participate in the hearings, on the grounds that the victims do not represent a state.

As preparations for the ICJ hearings were underway Saturday in the Netherlands, thousands of Palestinians staged noisy street demonstrations across the West Bank to protest the construction of the fence.

Palestinian delegates in The Hague on Saturday took part in lectures arranged by European non-government organizations, in which they explained the effects that the fence had on their lives. Legal arguments against the barrier were also presented. Elsewhere in the city, an art exhibit titled "Artists against the fence" was opened to the public.

In the West Bank, Palestinians staged one of the largest public outpourings of anger at the barrier. The main protest was staged in Nablus, where 2,000 demonstrators marched in the streets, among them dozens of masked militants who fired shots in the air.

Two U.S. congressmen, Democrat Robert Wexler (Florida) and Republican Steve Chabot (Ohio), will leave next week for The Hague to show their opposition to the court hearing, it was reported Saturday. Both Wexler and Chabot sit on the House International Relations Committee.

Israel says that the barrier is necessary to keep out the suicide bombers who have claimed hundreds of lives during the more than three years of violence. The Palestinians argue, however, that Israel is trying to pre-determine borders ahead of a final agreement.

	A Palestinian boy waiting for IDF soldiers to open a gate in the fence around the West Bank city of Qalqilyah on Thursday. (Reuters)