Why Israel boycotted the International Court hearing on West Bank wall

[IndianaGreen]

Why Israel boycotted the International Court hearing on West Bank wall
By Jean Shaoul
28 February 2004

Israel’s refusal to appear before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing on the West Bank security wall demonstrates its longstanding contempt for the United Nations and flouting of international law. Yet, instead of eliciting condemnation and threats of reprisals from the United States, Britain and the European Union for having acted as a “rogue state,” Israel has been supported in its insistence that the ICJ—and by extension the United Nations—has no right to interfere in Israel’s affairs without prior agreement.

Only the politically naive would accept that the stance of Washington, London and Brussels is determined solely by considerations of legal precedent. The International Court of Justice was set up by the United Nations in the aftermath of World War II as a mechanism for resolving international disputes, and its functions indeed have the limitations that Israel has sought to exploit. It can only decide a case between states when a defendant state agrees to accept its jurisdiction and has no power to enforce compliance with its judgments. It can, however, give a non-binding legal opinion when asked to do so by relevant UN organisations that can become the basis for moves to pass a UN resolution.

The United Nations General Assembly referred Israel’s construction of the wall on Palestinian Authority land to the ICJ after an appeal by the Palestinians in December of last year. Opening the oral hearings at the ICJ on the legal consequences of the wall, Palestinian UN representative Nasser Kidwa said, “The wall is not about security: It is about entrenching the occupation and the de facto annexation of large areas of Palestinian land.... This wall, if completed, will leave the Palestinian people with only half of the West Bank within isolated, non-contiguous, walled enclaves.”

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/feb2004/isra-f28.shtml

[drdon326]

1. wsws.org

the MAD magazine of political commentary.

so very sad.

[packerssuck]

2. I guess that Israel is not allowed to protect itself.

Let's tear down the wall so we can make it easier for Arafat and his merry suicide bombers to infiltate and murder innocent jews.

[Resistance]

3. wrong

it is wrong to steal - when will Israel's planners ever learn this? They've already stolen plenty and got away with it - why can't quit while they're way ahead?

[drdon326]

4. Then you'll really enjoy this:

http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000291.html

[lefty_mcduff]

21. Not really

But I thought these indicative of your source's ahm, objectivity. (As for your earlier post - the thread was locked before I could l respond - I think I'll hold off on on both the wine and chewing my words. You may also rethink the 'lol')

Dig at Kerry
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000282.html
Dig at Kerry - actually connecting Kerry to terrorists
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000279.html
Another dig at Kerry
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000278.html
Saddam supporting Al Gore
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000277.html
Deomcrat outspending Bush on health care
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000276.html
Desm 'obsession with Iraq's WMD'
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000275.html
Dean 'scream'
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000264.html
Dean 'retractions'
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000257.html
Left's crticism of Bush
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000252.html
Another shot at Dean
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000246.html
Another shot at Dean
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000245.html
Criticsm of the Left's concern on Privacy
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000244.html
Criticism of the left's desire to take on Bush
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000242.html
Shot at Dean & Clark
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000239.html
Criticim of the press' criticsm of Iraq
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000237.html
Shot at Dean
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000234.html
Shot at 'Old Europe'
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000231.html

[drdon326]

29. Right....

and all you proved its an equal opportunity offender.

""Quick inspection and it seems to me that this is a right-wing, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-democratic party, anti-kerry, anti-dean site."

http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000280.html
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000262.html


Would that be white or red for your dining pleasure?

[lefty_mcduff]

35. Still holding off.

I quickly ran through their archives (by clicking back button) and came up with the list supplied above. You will observe that they're pretty well in sequential order. You pull out two that are *marginally* critical of Bush (while cartoons I supplied accused Kerry of being supported by Hamas, et al) and this shows 'objectivity'? Judging by your posts, I think you are a little foggy on 'objectivity'.

You may also want to take notice the name of this forum - *DEMOCRATIC underground*. If you believe the cartoonists discussed are even remotely *unbiased* towards the Democratic party, well...

Check out the list of cartoons I supplied - they are right-wing, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-democratic party, anti-Kerry, anti-dean, etc (I placed a little synopsis for you).

You prove my point. Thanks.

And keep your wine. I don't drink...

[IndianaGreen]

10. Why don't you build the Wall on the Green Line and...?

Why don't you build the Wall on the Green Line and withdraw from the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem?

The Occupation will be over and security would be guaranteed by the Wall!

Or is it perhaps that Israel covets Palestinian land and security is but another excuse for expansionism?

[Taeger]

24. Agreed

I have no problem with a wall. But I think they should stick to the Green Line.

[buckeye1]

17. Israel begs the nations,

because it refuses to be.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mmm]

7. your comments are silly

Arafat has worked long and hard for the Palestinian People.
Alternately, he has done much to prevent retaliation against Israel.

[drdon326]

8. Really??

this should be good.....lets hear all the "done much"
that hes done ??

[packerssuck]

11. Wow! Talk about denial.

I guess embezzling funds, killing "collaborators", refusing to make peace, creating a cult of suicide bombers, taking a cut of everything sold in the terrirtories, providing shoddy schooling etc. is really taking care of "his" people. LOL.

[drdon326]

14. Yeah......

arafat is a real statesman....

$ 3,000,000,000 worth.

At least his lovely wife , Suha, is comfortable.....in Paris.

[_Jumper_]

32. So what if she is in Paris?

Do you think that the Palestinian people are worthy of living with Arafat's wife?

note: this was sarcastic

[beanball]

36. Arafat VS Sharon

why is it that Arafat's and his wife are accused of skimming money from their aid but we never hear anything about Sharon and his wife skimming billions from the aid we send them? there is a double standard and everyone knows it.

[buckeye1]

19. Robbing banks,too.

I wouldn't care but it my tax money.

[_Jumper_]

30. Hey built some nice presidential residences for the Palestinians

And he represented them in first-class hotels, restaurants, events, etc. when traveling overseas so his starving people didn't look bad. ;)

[Taeger]

25. Arafat works for HIMSELF!!!!!

When he came back from Tunisia, all the exiled Palestinians took over.

Arafat also works VERY hard at making sure that no one except HIMSELF can lead the Palestinian people.

[tinnypriv]

9. They essentially admitted why they boycotted it

Because they know that the route of the fence is "totally indefensible".

This is acknowledged by Israeli analysts and the GOI's own justice minister. It's hardly a secret.

Sharon, incidentially, doesn't want anyone to know this (even though it is public), which is why he condemned minsterial "babblers" for breaking the GOI line on the "anti-terror barrier" by stating it.

The same holds for many others; say, Shas MK Yishai, who is a so-called "centrist", which just shows how wide the Israeli political spectrum really is. He condemned comments against the fence as "kowtowing to foreigners".

I think you can reasonably translate foreigners = goyim.

[packerssuck]

12. Too bad! You can thank Arafat, Hamad, Islamic Jihad, Saudi Arabia

etc. etc. for the wall.

[tinnypriv]

13. fence

Get it right if you're going to be a propagandist.

[lefty_mcduff]

16. I don't give a

shit about the wall. I do, however, give a shit where the wall is being put. That is an argument that all the Pro Peace Fence crowd avoid, ignore and pooh-pooh. National security is a government's duty. Stealing and annexing land and territory in the face of international criticsim is what you're defending. All the while supporting a government that continues to behave in ways that is practically guaranteed to antagonize the very situation that drives the very attacks that the wall is supposed to protect Israeli citizens from. And yes, that is *too bad*. For Israeli and Palestinian civillians alike.

[buckeye1]

20. You can thank us.

Israel is a begger state. Unable to support itself. We have problems here. Israel has been a poor investment.

[Resistance]

15. The UN must be biased!

They denounce Israel stealing land! They tell Israel to stop murdering anyone that gets in the way! It's really awful!

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lefty_mcduff]

22. So why won't Israel build the fence on *their territory*?

n/t

[tinnypriv]

26. According to this sort of doctrine

Judea and Samaria is Israeli territory. If there are already "Palestinians" there, tough luck. They can either get out or be thankful Israel is so gracious as to spare their lives ("unlike what the Arab states would do"; a commonly quoted theme).

Note that these quotation marks are used deliberately in reactionary circles.

Once you understand the apparatus of the liar and shill for Israeli militarism, it all becomes clear: the fence is already on Israeli territory, and anybody who claims otherwise is... you get the picture.

[Taeger]

23. Deck stacked against Israel

The fact is that the deck is stacked AGAINST Israel in these issues. Israel appearing in such a forum would imply that the ICJ had authority to tell Israel how to handle their affairs. They DO NOT.

There are people who try to turn the United Nations into more that it really is. The UN is a forum for international cooperation. It IS NOT a sovereign governing body.

If the nations who tout the "sovereignty" of the UN wish to live by their words, they should form a unique body that mutually surrenders sovereignty to one another. I gaurantee you it WILL NOT HAPPEN. These countries have ZERO interest in surredering their own sovereignty. They're only interested in PRETENDING they have the right to tell certain countries (mainly US and Israel) what to do.

[Resistance]

27. interesting

you didn't once address the main problem: Israel's theft of more land.

:shrug:

[tinnypriv]

28. To save saying all that

You could just say you don't have even a minimal commitment to international law.

That'd have the added virtues of being honest and direct.

[lefty_mcduff]

31. Oh that is so

fucking rich. The deck is stacked 'against' Israel? Supplied with the latest in high-tech killing machines and weapons by the world's only superpower (while the *enemy* has little in the way of true weapons save some home made bombs and Soviet era Kalishnikovs). Billions in $US aid. Proxy veto power (supplied by the only superpower) in the UN. The forth, perhaps third, largest asrsenal in the world. Certainly the largest in the ME. Complete impunity to steal land, territory, etc. The ability (and balls) to assasinate, with impunity, anyone that is *suspected* of terrorism. The ability to flatten 120 stores (as on another thread) and have a good portion of the population *defend* those actions. Having religous zealots, who happen to be in charge of the world's remaining superpower, defend and support Israel's actions, due to some 'end days' bible prophecy.

Yeah, my heart bleeds. Now, perhaps you'll answer why Israel, despite all this, refuses to pay even the slightest attention to 'international law'.

[tinnypriv]

33. If you're interested in Israel military power

Vis a vis the middle East, see:

'The most powerful in the Middle East':

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=124&topic_id=15302

[lefty_mcduff]

34. Thanks.

Just getting a little tired of the 'little' Israel routine.