Kana’an Association for PalestineIntensive efforts against Israel’s Wall [Archives:2004/759/Local News]

The passage of the United Nations General Assembly's decision, by an overwhelming majority, to uphold the International Court for Justice's (ICJ) legal opinion on the demolition of the separation wall is yet another victory for the UN, and a victory for Palestinian rights. The vote is a condemnation of Israeli hostilities and continued attempts to violate the legal rights of the Palestinian people including the right to return and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as the capital of territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
Israel continues to challenge international resolve and decisions including various UN mandates. Israel has rejected recent decisions before the ink used to write them could dry. Israel's refusal to demolish the separation wall is an unprecedented disregard for UN decisions. Ironically, Israel has chosen to ignore and oppose UN mandates, even though Israel itself was created by a UN General Assembly decision 181 (November 19th 1947), which ruled that the land of Palestine was to be divided into Jewish and Arab States.
We hope that the General Assembly's vote would lead to a binding agreement in accordance with Chapter 2/Article 7 of the UN charter, which calls for adherence to UN resolutions with the option of using force or sanctions, to enforce its mandates. Israel must come to the realization that international mandates are not applied through a system of double standards.
We call upon the United States Administration to be on the right side of history and adopt policies consistent with justice and the right to self-determination. We urge the United States to be on the just side in this issue similar to its policy on opposing the Berlin wall. The United States should support the General Assembly's vote, which is consistent with international law, thus preventing a human tragedy which may result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian lives and the destruction of Palestinian interests. This is essential to the establishment of a just and peaceful as well as stability in the entire region. As we applaud the General Assembly's vote, we also urge the international community, particularly Arab nations, to double their efforts in order to force Israel to adhere to this decision.
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