The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said today that Israel's West Bank barrier in its current form is a violation of international humanitarian law.
A Palestinian boy rides his bicycle yesterday beside the wall which separates the Westr Bank village of Abus Did from east Jerusalem.
In a statement from its Geneva headquarters, the ICRC also called on the Israeli government "not to plan, construct or maintain this Barrier within occupied (Palestinian) territory".
"The ICRC's opinion is that the West Bank Barrier, in as far as its route deviates from the 'Green Line' into occupied territory, is contrary to IHL (international humanitarian law)," the statement added.
It said the barrier - a network of metal fences and concrete walls - bars thousands of Palestinian residents stranded on its western side from adequate access to basic services like water, health care and education.
"The ICRC's opinion is that the West Bank Barrier, in as far as its route deviates from the 'Green Line' into occupied territory, is contrary to IHL (international humanitarian law)," the statement said.
The ICRC said it recognised the right of Israel - which says the barrier is meant to stop suicide bombers and has already thwarted dozens of attacks - to take measures to defend the security of its own population.
And a senior ICRC official said that if the barrier were moved back to the Green Line - the boundary before Israel seized the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East War - "that would solve many of the problems as far as we are concerned".
But the statement said the problems the current barrier posed for Palestinians "clearly demonstrate that it runs counter to Israel's obligation ....to ensure the humane treatment and well-being of the civilian population living under its occupation".
Israel is facing hearings on the barrier at the International Court of Justice in the Hague next week after a
request by the United Nations General Assembly for a non-binding opinion on whether it is legally obliged to tear it down.