GAZA, Feb. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath on Thursday accused Israel of stealing documents about the separation wall which are due to be presented to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

    Shaath said in a statement to Voice of Palestine radio that the Israeli authorities at the Ben Gurion international airport confiscated the documents and written pleadings had been prepared to present to the court.

    "The Israeli authorities at the Ben Gurion airport copied the files and documents, then handed them to the Israeli legal experts who confiscated them," he said.

    Shaath described the act as "stealing and pirating", asserting that the Palestinian representatives to the United Nations had pressed for charges against Israel to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

    The world court will start deliberations on Feb. 23 on a UN General Assembly request to rule whether Israel is legally obliged to tear down the internationally criticized barrier that cuts deep into the Palestinian land.

    Both Israel and the Palestinians have been preparing for the debate. Enditem