Swiss press Israel on West Bank fence
Ambassador to U.N. Peter Maurer urges Israel to dismantle security fence, should Palestinian terror attacks ease
In a report to the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly, Swiss Ambassador Peter Maurer said convention ratifiers also wanted the Palestinian Authority to keep working on its commitment to improve the security situation in Israel.
The Fourth Geneva Convention governs the treatment of civilians in time of war and occupation. There is controversy in the international community over the extent to which it applies to Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Swiss report was requested by the General Assembly last year after the World Court issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel's construction of the security fence to be illegal.
Israel under new criticism
Israeli officials say the network of walls and fences it is building in the West Bank and Jerusalem is intended to keep out Palestinian suicide bombers, while Palestinians call it a land grab aimed at undermining the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israel came under fresh criticism this week after approving a segment it said would separate 55,000 Palestinian residents of Jerusalem from the rest of the city.
The World Court said the fence should be torn down, as it was built on West Bank land rather than along the pre-1967 border separating Israel and Palestinian territory.
A July 20 assembly resolution then asked Israel to comply with the opinion.
It also directed Switzerland to ask the governments that have ratified the convention whether an international conference was needed to ensure Israeli compliance with its obligations under the pact.
Convention includes east Jerusalem
Maurer said his government's consultations found that most convention ratifiers believed the treaty applied throughout the Palestinian territories.
However, he said there was little sentiment for an international conference at this time.
The World Court opinion had already confirmed the convention includes “east Jerusalem, which Israel continues to contest," his report said.
As Israel has said it considers the fence to be a temporary means to prevent attacks, "a formal commitment from Israel along these lines would contribute to reducing mistrust, provided that it is accompanied by a complete freeze on all settlement activities," the report said.
