Israel has yet to decide whether it will appear at a hearing in the Hague International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the deliberations on the terrorism-prevention fence. The steering committee responsible for the decision convened yesterday. The decision is due to be delivered by this Friday, and it was decided that the committee would formulate its professional recommendation only after considering all of the positions and statements submitted by various countries to the ICJ. On Thursday, a ministerial committee headed by Prime Minister Sharon will make the final decision. Some feel that Israel must submit only a written statement, keeping as low a profile as possible in order not to grant importance to the Arabs' claims against the partition.
A secret United Nations document was transferred to the ICJ pulling the carpet out from under the main arguments against the counter-terrorism fence. The Palestinian Authority claims that Israel is building a concrete wall deep inside PA-controlled territory - but the document shows that it is being constructed largely alongside or adjacent to the Green Line, and that only 5% of its length is concrete. Most of the remainder is a chain-link fence and natural obstacles.
Jewish students from Israel, the U.S., and Europe are planning to conduct a "parade of terrorism victims" outside The Hague, in order to show why the fence is necessary. Each student will hold a poster-sized photo of one of the 920 terrorism victims of the past 40 months, including information on where and when they were murdered. In addition, the Zaka organization, which helps assure terror victims of proper burial, will dispatch a blown-up bus for display outside The Hague next week, as graphic evidence of the catastrophic results of over three years of Palestinian terrorism against Israelis.