Sunday, July 11, 2004



Tear down the wall

The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel's "security barrier" (a giant concrete wall akin to that which used to divide Berlin) is illegal and contravenes international law.

It's not binding, and the Israelis will simply ignore it, but its an important moral victory for the Palestinians. And perhaps it will encourage some governments to adopt a more critical attitude towards Israel. There is no question that Israel has a right to exist and a right to defend itself, but the wall is a significant annexation of territory and seems designed to drive almost 300,000 Palestinians from their land.

If the Israelis were building only on their own side of the Green Line, then there would be no question of legality - but they're building on stolen land. And as long as that is true, we must send a clear message to the Israeli government: tear down the wall

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