Israel pushes UN censure to the wall

Israel vowed on Wednesday to press on with construction of its vast barrier in the West Bank despite a UN resolution condemning the project ...

Israel vowed on Wednesday to press on with construction of its vast barrier in the West Bank despite a UN resolution condemning the project and demanding it be halted.

‘‘The fence will continue being built and will go on taking care of the security of Israel’s citizens,’’ Dy PM Ehud Olmert said. Late on Tuesday, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling the sprawling network of fences and walls a ‘‘contradiction to international law’’ and ordering Israel to ‘‘stop and reverse’’ its construction on Palestinian lands.

The resolution said the barrier’s route could imperil the West Asia peace Road Map, which envisions a two-state solution to the crisis. The United States voted against it. Israel says it is a security fence to keep out suicide bombers. Palestinians condemn it as land grab and call it a new ‘‘Berlin Wall’’ that cuts deep into territory they want for a state. PM Ariel Sharon said in an interview last week that Israel would complete the 350 km barrier.

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Arab states took the dispute to an emergency session of the 191-nation General Assembly after the US last week vetoed a similar measure in the 15-nation Security Council. Unlike the UN Security Council, the General Assembly is not empowered to pass resolutions that are legally binding and acts more as a bellwether of world opinion.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces focused on the West Bank after Air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday in which hospital officials said 10 Palestinians were killed, most of them civilians. The Gaza attacks drew international criticism. Israeli tanks rolled into the W Bank city of Ramallah overnight, encircled a mosque and fired weapons and teargas at stonethrowers, withdrawing several hours later. (Reuters)

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