Israel Court Rejects Barrier Route Change

[Englander]

By GABE ROSS
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 18, 2006; 4:50 PM

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli Supreme Court on Sunday rejected two efforts to change the route of the West Bank separation barrier in and around east Jerusalem.

In both cases, Palestinian residents argued that the barrier would be built on private land and cut them off from their "center of life" in Jerusalem. One argued that part of the barrier would be built on a cemetery still used by one of the villages, according to court documents.

The court ruled for the government, which argued that the security needs of the barrier outweighed humanitarian concerns. The government argued that residents could still enter the city through passages located near their neighborhoods.

The cases were filed separately by residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood of A-Sheikh and Kfar Anata, a town on the northern outskirts of the city.

Daniela Yanai, a lawyer at Ir Amim, an Israeli advocacy group that deals with Jerusalem issues, said the decisions reflect Israel's goal of strengthening its hold on east Jerusalem.

More at;
WaPo