MIDDLE EAST: The Government has told the International Court of Justice that it objects to Israel's decision to build a barrier to divide Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
However, the Government's submission to the court remains silent about the right of the Hague-based court to adjudicate upon the case, which was referred to it by the UN General Assembly.
The EU has already failed to agree a common position on the ICJ's right to hear the case, in the face of objections from the United Kingdom and other member-states.
The British, according to some sources, fear that the Israeli case could set a precedent and leave its conduct towards Iraq open to judicial challenge by the court.
The Department of Foreign Affairs last night refused to divulge the contents of Ireland's submission to the Court "since they are documents going before a court".
However, a spokesman told The Irish Times: "We do not believe that the wall should be built where it is being built. If it was built along the 1967 borders that would be a different thing."
He said the Government was not "avoiding" answering questions on whether the International Court of Justice should rule on such issues.
The EU submission to The Hague states it does not believe the referral to the court will make it easier to find a political solution to the Middle East problem.
This reservation against this month's hearing by the court comes despite the fact that the bloc has strongly criticised the construction of the barrier.
The EU attached to its submission two statements it made last year to the UN in which it attacked the route of the barrier, which it said would cause further humanitarian and economic hardship to the Palestinians.
The Israeli authorities yesterday boasted that they had the support of some 30 countries for their argument that the court had no authority to rule on the legality of the barrier. Britain and the United States, although they have criticised the route of the fence, have opposed the court hearing.