Israel will begin tearing down part of a barrier being built in the West Bank on the eve of World Court hearings over the legality of the controversial project, Israeli officials said today.
Work to remove an eight km (five mile) section of the barrier near the West Bank villages of Baka al-Sharqiya and Zeita would begin on Sunday, an Israeli Defence Ministry spokeswoman said.
She called the timing of the barrier's removal on the eve of the International Court of Justice deliberations a coincidence and said it had been planned for six months.
The International Court of Justice at The Hague will open hearings on Monday at the request of the United Nations General Assembly for a non-binding opinion on whether Israeli is legally obliged to tear down the barrier.
Israel says the barrier is intended to keep Palestinian suicide bombers out of its cities, but Palestinians call it a grab for occupied land they want for a future state.
Israeli officials have said the route of the partially built 728 km (452 mile) barrier of fences and walls may be changed to cut out the controversial loops around Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank.
The United States and European Union, which oppose the World Court's involvement in the case, have criticised the barrier because the planned route winds deep into the occupied West Bank, causing hardship to thousands of Palestinians.