WEST BANK FILE: West Bank barrier still in place 7 years after being declared illegal by World Court

Record ID: 566414

  • Title: WEST BANK FILE: West Bank barrier still in place 7 years after being declared illegal by World Court
  • Date: 10th July 2011
  • Summary: BILIN, WEST BANK (JUNE 26, 2011) (REUTERS) ISRAELI ARMY BULLDOZERS WORKING TO RE-ROUTE BARRIER BILIN, WEST BANK (JULY 1, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BULLDOZER CLEARING LAND THAT WAS RETURNED TO RESIDENTS OF BILIN VILLAGE
  • Embargoed: 25th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Conflict,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8UO2YD3DCTF0Z6IVPFFUFDENH
  • Story Text: Seven years after the World Court deemed it illegal, Israel's West Bank barrier remains.
    The International Court of Justice in The Hague said in 2004 that the proposed 720-km (430-mile) barrier cutting through the West Bank was illegal, citing its route inside territory that Israeli forces occupied in a 1967 war.
    Israel started building the network of metal fencing, barbed wire and concrete walls in 2002 following a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings, rejected the non-binding ruling.
    Since then, the barrier has been the site of visits from international figures, graffiti, and weekly demonstrations in many West Bank villages, most famously Bilin, which has been the focal point of often violent clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian and international activists for almost six years.
    A four-year-old ruling by Israel's High Court of Justice, granting greater Palestinian access to farmland around Bilin, has recently been implemented. But residents of the village, located approximately 25 km (15 miles) east of Tel Aviv, pledged to continue demonstrating until they achieve full access to their land.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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