Supreme Court: "The planned route of the fence must change"
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) The Israeli Supreme Court decided this morning that the planned route for the security fence near Modiin, in the West Bank, "severely violates the rights of the population and its freedom of movement. People's livelihood is severely impaired."
Modiin is in the north-western outskirts of Jerusalem on the road to Tel Aviv and is known as the City of the Maccabees.
The Court ruled that 30 km of the 40 km must be cancelled and that the military must trace a new route alignment that would enable the 35,000 Palestinian residents to live and move more freely. ""The injuries [caused by the fence] are not proportionate. They can be substantially decreased by an alternate route," the ruling said. "As it stands the route disrupts the delicate balance between the Army's obligation to preserve security and its obligation to provide for the needs of the local inhabitants," it added. "The route that the military commander established injures the local inhabitants in a severe and acute way and violates their rights."
However, in today's decision the Court rejects the claim made by the fence's opponents that the reason behind the security fence is political. Instead, it stated that the fence was designed to protect the lives of innocent people.
The ruling was made in response to a petition submitted by Attorney Mohammad Dahla on behalf of the Palestinian residents of Beit Surik, Bidu, Kattanah, Beit Lakiya and Beit Iksa. It was also backed by a group of Israeli activists.
In early May, Supreme Court President Aharon Barak had announced that a decision on the petition presented by the residents of the Beit Surik would be made within two months.
Building on the wall started in August 2002. The Israeli government considers it essential to stop suicide bombers coming from the Occupied Territories. Palestinians oppose the fence on the grounds that it does not respect the Green Line border and that it seriously disrupts their daily movements.
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13/01/2023 19:16
