From Ha'aretz
(Tel Aviv)
Dated Sunday February 1
Officials at UN: International Court hearing on fence in doubt
By Aluf Benn, Shlomo Shamir and Sharon Sadeh, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies
Officials at the United Nations indicated Friday that they cannot ignore the objections filed by more than 30 countries against the authority of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on the legality of the West Bank security fence, and said that the hearing itself was in doubt.
Fifteen members of the European Union and ten members-in-waiting, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa and Senegal joined Israel in submitting affidavits to the ICJ. Several EU countries, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom, submitted their own separate affidavits to the court.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Saturday that he hoped that the objections filed would convince the court to cancel the hearing on the barrier "because it is a political, not judicial issue."
Most of the countries who have called into question the authority of the court have also voiced concerns about the route of the fence where it strays from the Green Line into the West Bank. The EU has also expressed its opposition to the route of the barrier.
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