Plan needed for West Bank barrier - NGO
2012-12-13 21:45
Jerusalem - Israel's High Court ordered the military on
Thursday to reconsider the route of a portion of its security barrier, which
was to pass through the West Bank village of Battir, an environmental NGO said.
"The High Court this afternoon... ordered the
military to present an alternative plan within 90 days," the Friends of
the Earth Middle East (FoEME) group said.
"We are convinced that, due to the unique nature of
the area under discussion, there is a need for the security officials to
reconsider, in particular as regards the nature of the barrier and security
arrangements of the problematic areas," the group quoted the court
decision as saying.
The route of Israel's barrier in the West Bank has been
challenged on multiple occasions, but the court decision comes after an unusual
coalition jointly contested the portion due to pass through Battir.
FoEME, along with residents of the village and the
Israeli Nature and Parks Authority, argued that that the planned route would
damage a network of ancient terraces in Battir, calling on the court to force a
reroute.
Battir, located west of Bethlehem, is famous for the
terraces dating back thousands of years that the Palestinians hope will receive
Unesco World Heritage status next year.
Israel's defence ministry argued that the route would not
damage or affect the terraces, and urged the court to leave the plan intact.
FoEME's Israel director Gidon Bromberg said the group was
"delighted" with the court decision.
"The military had failed to bring a single expert in
the field of cultural and natural heritage to support their case, yet they
constantly claimed that they were striking the right balance between the needs
of security and heritage values," he said in a statement.
"We trust that this time the military will
reconsider security options based on the advice of heritage experts."
The defence ministry had no immediate comment on the
court decision.
