Israel has said it will disregard the court's non-binding advisory decision, calling its barrier a vital security bulwark against infiltrations by Palestinian suicide bombers.

Palestinians brand the barrier a precursor to annexation of land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War. They seek a viable state on the land under a U.S.-backed peace plan.

The court acknowledged Israel's duty to protect its citizens but said it must do so within the law and should compensate Palestinians for homes and land lost or damaged by the building of the 100-meter-wide strip of walls, ditches and fences.

The court dismissed Israel's objection that the U.N. General Assembly had acted irregularly in asking the court for an advisory opinion.

It rebuffed Israel's argument -- which is supported by the United States and several European countries -- that the court should not interfere because the issue is political, not legal, and could disrupt Mideast peace efforts.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 17, 2004
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