Thursday, September 15, 2005

The Israeli High Court has unanimously ruled that the controversial wall separating Israel from the West Bank should be rerouted.

The panel of nine justices gave their ruling on a petition submitted by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and ordered that alternative routes be investigated around the settlement of Alefei Menashe. The court ruling orders that the existing wall in the area be demolished and rebuilt nearer to the settlement.

The rerouting of the wall will result in the Palestinian village of Qalqilya, and four others, being on the West Bank side of the barrier.

The barrier has been a contentious issue between Israelis and Palestinians since construction began. Israel’s government ignored last year’s non-binding ruling by the International Court of Justice which declared the barrier illegal.