Israel ignores UN condemnation of 'security fence'

The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly yesterday to condemn the "separation fence" Israel is building in the West Bank, and to demand that the project be brought to a halt.

Israel responded that it would ignore the non-binding resolution and keep building the "fence" - actually a series of walls and fences.

Israel claims the fence is being built to stop suicide bombers crossing into Israel. But instead of following the internationally recognised Green Line border between the West Bank and Israel, it cuts deep into the West Bank to keep Jewish settlements on the "Israeli" side.

International observers, including Condoleezza Rice, President George Bush's National Security Adviser, have said it looks like an attempt to create a new border - one that would amount to a land-grab of much of the West Bank by Israel.

The UN General Assembly vote is of symbolic value because, unlike the Security Council, its resolutions are not binding. But attempts by the Palestinians, backed by Security Council member Syria, to get a Security Council resolution condemning the fence, were blocked by the US veto.

So the Palestinians went to the General Assembly, where there are no vetoes. The resolution, which demands Israel "stop and reverse the construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory", and describing the fence as "in contradiction to relevant provisions of international law", was passed by 144 votes to 4, with 12 abstentions.

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, made it clear that Israel would ignore the resolution. "The fence will continue being built and we will go on taking care of the security of Israel's citizens," he told Israeli Radio.

Meanwhile, in an echo of Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount, or Haram al-Sharif, which was the event that sparked the intifada, Israel's Public Security Minister, Tzahi Hanegbi, toured the site yesterday - the first visit by an Israeli government minister since the Israeli police provoked Palestinian fury by reopening the site to non-Muslim visitors.