Madam, - Israel is entitled to build as part of its defences against the infiltration of Palestinian suicide-bomb terrorists a security fence on the disputed land of the West Bank.
First, from the standpoint of international law and morality, the measure is defensible in principle. Israel has a right to exist as the Jewish homeland and Israelis have a right to life.
As an exercise of the right of self-defence (which Article 51 of the UN Charter reflects) the building of the fence is a measure that is proportional to the ongoing Palestinian terrorist war and necessary to respond to it. Therefore it is consistent with principles set out by the International Court of Justice in the Nicargua Case.
Second, the decision to build it is pragmatically sound. Since a fence was built between Israel and Gaza, Palestinian terrorists have found it much harder to infiltrate Israel in order to realise their genocidal intent. The fence on the West Bank should have a similar life-saving impact.
Third, the fence may have positive political value. Palestinian terrorists have been able to destroy peace-making efforts by perpetrating atrocities. A security fence, reinforced by real action on the part of the PA to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, has the potential to render this threat ineffective.
Sadly, while our Government and the European Union pretend to take Yasser Arafat seriously, he remains free to execute his terrorist strategy in the hopes of achieving his nightmare of a Greater Palestine. Shame on them. - Yours, etc.,
TOM COONEY,
c/o Faculty of Law,
University College Dublin
Dublin 4.
