At request of the Secretary General of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice ruled last Friday on the legality of the so-called security barrier currently being constructed in Israeli-occupied territory. The court’s nonbinding ruling said the barrier was “contrary to international law.”

The ruling may become binding if resolutions are passed by the U.N. Security Council. However, even if such resolutions are passed, the United States is sure to veto them as it has many others in the past.

The World Court deemed the wall illegal by a vote of 14 to 1. Care to take a guess from which country the dissenting opinion came?

Despite Judge Thomas Buergenthal’s ‘nay’ vote, he concedes some or all of the wall might violate international law. Buergenthal contends the court did not receive all information pertinent to rule on the current situation in Israel. He also concedes the reason for this lack of information is in part due to Israel’s refusal to present its side before the court.

After reviewing all available information, the court called for the wall to be taken down and holds Israel accountable for all damages caused by its construction.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat called the decision “a victory for the Palestinian people and for all the free peoples of the world.”

The White House doesn’t agree. Spokesman Scott McClellan said, “We do not believe that that’s the appropriate forum to resolve what is a political issue. This is an issue that should be resolved through the process that has been put in place, specifically the road map.”

There is one problem: Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from occupied territories and this “security barrier” are not a part of the road map!

Despite whatever agreement between Washington and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon about the supposed nonpolitical nature of the wall, this barrier will inevitably annex land in favor of Israel.

Are we to assume Palestinians will choose to live inside the barrier away from their people? Of course not. Thus, when Palestinians subsequently leave these areas, Israelis will relocate to them, and future peace agreements will include an Israeli demand for the newly developed settlements.

The original Israeli Army recommendation for the route of the wall was likely to claim up to half of the West Bank. The actual route is much less intrusive but is still unsatisfactory. The Israeli Supreme Court recently ruled that parts of the wall must be taken down and rerouted because of the hardship faced by Palestinians affected by its construction.

According to a report issued by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the separation wall has resulted in the confiscation of about 3,000 acres of land. Much of this land is farmland which has been worked by Palestinians for generations.

The United Nations has also concluded that 200,000 Palestinians are currently suffering humanitarian consequences due to the wall, which is about one-third complete. The completion of the wall is estimated to directly harm around 700,000 West Bank inhabitants.

Although the ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court is encouraging, the high court failed to identify political motivations for the wall, calling it merely a security measure. Many politicians in the United States concur. New York Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer denounced the International Court of Justice ruling last Friday in front of the U.N. headquarters. Many in the Bush administration have spoken against the World Court as well.

In light of the Bush administration’s views on this issue, the Palestinian Authority has announced it will wait until after the November presidential election to petition the U.N. Security Council for action. However, this tactic is unlikely to be effective even if Bush is ousted from office.

During the Democratic primary, John Kerry said, “Every candidate who aspires to be president should know that Israel is a democracy and our closest ally in the region.” Kerry plans to continue vetoing resolutions he deems “biased against Israel.”

What has our alliance with Israel brought the United States? What messages do our numerous vetoes against popular international opinion send to the Middle East?

It is up to the international community to draft a resolution which condemns the Israeli separation wall as well as Palestinian terror attacks.

Only this type of resolution will pass the ridiculous litmus test imposed by the United States for decades. Only this type of resolution will bring the Palestinians and Israelis back to the road map.