BRUSSELS: The Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, has condemned Israel's construction of a security fence on the West Bank, but reaffirmed the EU's opposition to a United Nations challenge to the wall at the International Court of Justice.
Mr Roche told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the EU remained convinced that the security fence was in breach of international law but many member-states believed that a legal challenge would not help to advance the peace process in the Middle East.
"There can be no doubt that the construction by Israel of a separation barrier which extends deep into the Palestinian Territories is a major obstacle to progress in the peace process. This has been the subject of statements by the European Union and others who have urged Israel to consider the long-term consequences of this construction.
"I need hardly say that the wall figured prominently in the discussions which the president of the Council [of Ministers, Mr Cowen] had in Israel two weeks ago and that the Israeli attitude was regrettably uncompromising," he said.
Last December, the EU abstained on a UN resolution asking the International Court of Justice to render an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of the construction of the security barrier - part wall, part chainlink fence - which Israel says is necessary to protect its citizens from suicide bombers. The court is due to begin hearings in The Hague on February 23rd.
A number of MEPs condemned the EU's position and the Munster FG MEP, Mr John Cushnahan, warned that Israel risked becoming a "pariah state" if it did not dismantle the barrier.
"When one also considers the continued refusal by Israel to comply with UN resolutions, it begs the question where does Israel think that it is going. Does it want to be a pariah state regarded in the same light as rogue states that are in constant defiance of their international obligations? Or instead does it want to work with the international community to create peace in the Middle East?"