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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=3><b>Media Release: International Court of
Justice rules wall illegal<br>
</b><i>Issued by the Palestine Solidarity Committee<br>
9 July 2004<br><br>
</i>The International Court of Justice Declares: THE WALL IS
ILLEGAL!<br>
Palestine Demands: Immediate Sanctions and Boycott of Apartheid<br>
Israel!<br><br>
<br>
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, despite intense
pressure from Israel, the US and EU Governments, confirms what
Palestinians and the world have known since the beginning of its planning
and construction - THE WALL IS ILLEGAL! <br><br>
Citing the Right to Self Determination, the Fourth Geneva Convention, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, relevant human rights
and humanitarian law, as well as the Rights to Freedom of Movement, Work,
Education, Health, Food and Water, Religion and the Right of the Child,
the ICJ voted 14-1 that "construction of the wall and its associated
regime are contrary to international law." 14-1 that Israel must
immediately cease construction of the Wall in all areas, dismantle parts
already build and repeal any legislation or regulation relating to the
Wall and 14-1 that Israel must make reparations for damages caused by
construction of the Wall. <br><br>
The ICJ reiterates the illegality of Israeli settlements and their
relationship to the Wall's path, referring to the Wall's unilateral
demarcation of a new border in the West Bank, seizure and destruction of
property, the effective annexation of occupied lands and settlements and
the demographic changes within Palestine as a result of the Wall's
construction. In an important assertion, the Court fully disregards the
relevance of the Israeli position that the Wall is for
"security" or "self defense." <br><br>
In response to the ruling, the illegality of the Wall and the
ongoing<br>
destruction to Palestinian communities on the ground:
<ul>
Mass Demonstration will be held today in Ar Ram, at the Protest tent
(approximately 100 meters from the Dahiat checkpoint), after the Friday
noon prayer. The demonstration will include massive mobilization of
Palestinians from the Northern West Bank communities affected by the Wall
and the rest of the West Bank.
<li>Internationally, central mobilization has been taking place in The
Hague with solidarity demonstrations being held in many countries around
the world.</font>
</ul><br>
<font face="arial" size=3>Of course, we cannot trust that the Court
decision alone will make the Wall fall - the international community must
take action and demand that the decision have an impact on the
ground. Israel has a clear history of violating UN resolutions, as
was recognized in the ICJ opinion, and has explicitly stated that it will
not accept any ruling of the ICJ. Further it has secured guarantees
from the United States that they will veto any action by the UN Security
Council to enforce the ICJ opinion. <br><br>
Should Israel, the US, the European Union or any other country attempt to
avoid their legal obligation to stop construction of the Illegal Wall,
they would be in clear contempt of the ICJ's opinion in which a 13-2 vote
stated that "all States are under an obligation not to recognize the
illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall and not to
render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by such
construction." The court reinforced this point with a 14-1 vote that
the "United Nations and especially the General Assembly and the
Security Council should consider what further action is required to bring
an end to the illegal situation resulting from the wall and the
associated regime." In statement number (145), the ICJ also makes
the argument that Israel has a responsibility to search for and bring to
justice the crimes of any person involved in the "planning,
construction and "use of the wall." <br><br>
"This opinion will only mark an important event in the struggle
against the Apartheid Wall and for Human Rights Law and International
Humanitarian Law, if the UN, world governments and the international
community demand the implementation of the opinion and act to sanction
Israeli Apartheid for its crimes against the Palestinian people, ensuring
that the US does not use its veto power to undermine the international
judicial process, " said the Jamal Jum'a coordinator of the
Palestinian Grassroots Anti- Apartheid Wall Campaign. <br><br>
In response to the ICJ opinion, the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-
Apartheid Wall Campaign is calling for immediate action: Construction on
the Wall must be stopped immediately, all existing sections must be
dismantled and compensation must be offered to those who have suffered
from its devastation. <br><br>
The demands of the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign are that:
<ul>
the UN immediately calls for a General Assembly Meeting imposing, without
further delay, international sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, as
demanded already in November 2003;
<li>the EU to immediately suspend its economic, cultural and scientific
association agreements with Israel;</font>
<li><font face="arial" size=3>Governments worldwide break off diplomatic
relations.</font>
</ul><br>
<font face="arial" size=3>In addition, the Campaign is calling on the
people of the world to:
<ul>
strengthen their support for the Palestinian struggle against the
Apartheid Wall and the Israeli Occupation;
<li>pressurise their governments to take responsible action and enforce
the opinion with continued mobilization;</font>
<li><font face="arial" size=3>call for popular boycott of all Israeli
goods and institutions until the Wall falls and Israel complies with
International Law and all UN resolutions.</font>
</ul><br>
<font face="arial" size=3>An ICJ Advisory Opinion is not merely an
opinion, is an official jurisprudence of the highest judicial body in the
United Nations Systems and to diminish the weight of the Advisory Opinion
is to contradict the principles established in the Charter of the United
Nations, as well as the role of the International Court of Justice
(ICJ). In reference to the value of their own opinion, the ICJ
highlighted the value of their 1971 ruling against South Africa's
occupation of Namibia, after which the international community imposed
sanctions on the Apartheid State. Popular boycott, International
isolation, economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure have supported the
South African Anti-Apartheid Movement in its struggle against a racist
and colonialist regime and have brought South Africa Apartheid to an
end. <br><br>
<i>For more information or comment, contact:<br>
</i>Jamal Juma', coordinator of the Anti-Apartheid Wall:<br>
09972-522-85-610<br>
Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign: 09972-258-56-408<br><br>
<i>In South Africa:<br>
</i>Na'eem Jeenah - 084 574 2674<br>
Anna Weekes - 073 635 7860<br><br>
<br>
If you wish to mail me privately, please mail:
jeenahn@social.wits.ac.za<br><br>
<br>
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