- A-RAM -- It is just a 15-minute drive from the well-heeled
West Jerusalem suburb of Rehavia, where Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's
residence is located, to the town of A-Ram, where Nasser Mahmoud Gh-eith
has his shoe store.
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- On the northern outskirts of Jerusalem, and in the middle
of the Jerusalem-Ramallah Road that runs through A-Ram, builders have begun
constructing the latest section of Israel's security barrier some 200 yards
from Gh-eith's store.
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- "The Israelis are killing us economically,"
explained Gh-ieth as he sat behind the counter with his 11-year-old son,
Maher. For the storekeeper, the barrier when completed will turn a two-minute
commute from his home in neighbouring Atarot to more than one hour. Once
finished, he will only be able to enter A-Ram via designated checkpoints.
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- With this in mind, he has already moved his eldest son
from his school in A-Ram to one in Jerusalem and estimated that he stands
to lose some two-thirds of customers once the barrier is completed.
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- The International Court of Justice ruled on Friday that
the barrier violated international law and should be dismantled. The court
said the barrier could become tantamount to annexation of Palestinian land
if it is completed and that it impeded the Palestinians' right to self-rule.
It also said it had imposed hardship on thousands of Palestinians and that
compensation must be paid to the owners of property confiscated for its
construction.
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- Israel dismissed the decision, declaring that the court
was not the place to solve the issue: "It fails to address the essence
of the problem and the very reason for building the fence, Palestinian
terror," said foreign ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled. "If
there were no terror, there would be no fence."
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- Israel's foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, also said that
the "solution to the problem lies in Ramallah and Gaza where the terrorists
are coming from, and not in The Hague or America".
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- Israeli press reported that Israel would seek to block
the issue from reaching the Security Council, with the assistance of the
US. The Israeli government is also hoping that most EU countries will not
support the Palestinian move as they opposed bringing the matter before
the court.
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- But while Palestinians declared the ruling a "historic
victory", with one official saying they will now seek UN sanctions
against Israel, A-Ram residents were cynical as what effect it would have.
"No international power will prevent Israel from doing what it wants
to do," Gh-ieth said. "It's an apartheid wall, it's not to designate
state borders, it's not for security reasons, and it's not just even to
separate Israelis from Palestinians, it's separating Palestinians from
Palestinians."
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- Israel has already amended the route of the barrier following
a ruling last month by the its supreme court. But for the Israelis, the
barrier, of which about 120 miles has been built, is having an immediate
effect on decreasing terror attacks. On Friday, Ra'anan Gissin, adviser
to Sharon, said thanks to the barrier successful suicide attacks had been
reduced by 70%.
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- "I think any country has the responsibility to look
after its citizens," said Steve Jesner, who immigrated to Israel 22
years ago from Glasgow and whose cousin, Yoni Jesner, died in a suicide
bombing two years ago in Tel Aviv.
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- Jesner, who works for the ambulance service and has treated
many bombing victims, said the route "should be determined by security
factors and not political influences".
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- ©2004 Scotsman.com http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=793652004
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