The International Court at The Hague may well not be able to withstand the pressure, says at least one UN official, and is likely not to address the issue of Israel's counter-terrorism partition after all. The 15 members of the European Union, plus another 10 European countries, have now joined the U.S., Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa and Senegal in informing The Hague of their opinion that the Court should not judge the issue. Their basic claim, echoing Israel's, is that the partition is a political issue, and not a legal one. Germany, France, and Great Britain presented their own separate pro-Israel opinions on the matter.
The Arab petition to The Hague states that the partition - only about 5% of which is concrete; the other 172 kilometers are fencing, ditches, and a patrol road - is a violation of the Geneva Convention in that it punishes civilians in times of war. Israel, however, claims that the convention does not compel Israel to enable the killing of its citizens, and that in fact, its Article 27 grants it the right to take such measures of control and security as may be necessary as a result of the war.
The Arab petition to The Hague states that the partition - only about 5% of which is concrete; the other 172 kilometers are fencing, ditches, and a patrol road - is a violation of the Geneva Convention in that it punishes civilians in times of war. Israel, however, claims that the convention does not compel Israel to enable the killing of its citizens, and that in fact, its Article 27 grants it the right to take such measures of control and security as may be necessary as a result of the war.