Hague or not, Israel reconsidering much of the barrier

[bemildred]

The controversial hearings regarding the security barrier will begin on Monday in
The Hague. Although Israel announced its intention not to send official
representatives to the hearing, the shadow of the International Court has already
affected the barrier issue dramatically in recent weeks. Israeli officials may not
willingly admit this, but Maariv's weekend supplement "Musaf Shabbat?
reported that due to the upcoming hearing and heavy US pressure, the State
Prosecutor has already disqualified entire sections of the original route approved
by the cabinet. Similar pressure is being put on the IDF to ease the daily lives of
the Palestinians. Several decisions have therefore been taken, including the
adoption of a plan whereby the army will begin within a few days to assist
Palestinian children in reaching their schools on the other side of the barrier.
Israel is apparently doing all it can to minimize the expected impact of Palestinian
accounts of suffering caused by the barrier.

Maariv