Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said in Jerusalem Friday that Israel will not follow the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s ruling if it rules against the security fence on the West Bank, the Ha'aretz daily reported.

The Hague-based ICJ is expected to give it advisory opinion on the wall later in the day.

Earlier Israeli reports said the ICJ would rule that the fence contravenes international law and must be dismantled.

"Now, of course, there is the limitation the High Court of Justice imposed in Israel, and we will comply with our High Court decisions, and not with the panel of European Union nations, which are not exactly suspected of excessive sympathy for Israel," Lapid was quoted as saying.

He explained that Israel would honor only its own court rulings, such as the June 30 High Court of Justice ruling ordering the defense establishment to reroute a 30-kilometer stretch of the separation fence northwest of Jerusalem.

The High Court held earlier that the fence was a security barrier rather than a political one, but that Israel must balance security considerations against the needs of local residents.

Meanwhile, the Israeli-Arab Hadash party submitted a no-confidence motion to the government in the wake of reports of the ruling against the fence.

Faction head MK Mohammed Barakeh said Israel could not ignore the ICJ ruling, or else it will continue to be an international pariah.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom will hold a meeting with his ministry officials Friday afternoon to discuss an Israel reaction to the possible ruling, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will also hold meetings on the issue on Sunday, a local radio reported.

Government spokesman Avi Pazner said Israel will be ready to discuss the fence route after implementing the disengagement plan. Enditem

World court rules against Israeli barrier in West Bank

The International Court of Justice in The Hague has ruled that Israel's West Bank barrier violates international law and should be dismantled, Radio Netherlands reported Friday.

The ruling, which will be made official later in the day, said that the barrier contravenes international law and violates the rights of the Palestinians. Palestinians who have lost property through the barrier's construction should receive financial compensation, the report said. 

Although the court's ruling is not binding, it can serve as a basis for UN action. The court has spent five months considering the issue at the request of the United Nations.

Israel and the United States want the court to stay out of the issue, saying that any of its ruling could interfere with the Middle East peace process.

Israel began construction of the barrier in 2002 which Israel says is aimed to block Palestinian suicide bombers. Much of the 640-kilometer wall is being built on territory Israel occupied in 1967.

Palestinians say that the network of walls, fences and ditches is confiscating their land and dividing their communities and separating people from schools or workplaces. 

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2004)