GAZA, July 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian leadership and different political movements have welcomed the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s ruling against the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank, hailing it as a "victory". 

    At the Palestinians' request, the UN General Assembly asked the ICJ last December for its opinion on the legality of the barrier.In its ruling in the Hague on Friday, the ICJ court said that Israel's security needs did not merit the construction of the barrier, stating that it "cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements of national security or public order."

    The barrier could become equal to annexation of Palestinian land if it is completed and it impeded the Palestinian's right to self-rule, said the ICJ.

    At a news conference held in Ramallah after the ruling, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat described the ICJ decision as a "real victory," saying it is "a good decision, and the voice of right and law."

    He called for an urgent meeting for the Palestinian leadership to discuss the outcomes of the decision.

(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    "The decision is a real victory for the Palestinian people, for all liberal nations, for the world's freedom movements, for the international resolutions and for the sake of making just,everlasting and comprehensive peace," Arafat told the reporters.

    He said that from "the very first movement as we decided to go to the Hague, we were confident that we are right and they(Israelis) are wrong."

    Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told reporters Friday that the Hague court's decision calling to stop building the security wall in the West Bank is "a slap on Israel's face.""The court's decision is historic, a real victory and a slap on the face of those fanatics who insist to build the Apartheid wall for security excuses," Qurei said.

    "We have been always saying that the Apartheid separation wallwas illegal and contravenes with the law and no one listened to us,but now the International Court of Justice is making this as ahistoric decision," he added.

    Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a senior advisor to Arafat, said that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) would ask the United Nations Security Council to adopt the ICJ ruling made Friday in the Hague.He told reporters in Ramallah that if the United States Vetoesthe resolution at the Security Council, the PNA would call for aGeneral Assembly meeting of the United Nations to adopt the court'sdecision.

    The decision of the International Court of Justice is also a message to the United States and a slap on Israel's face, and wouldbring the latter into an international diplomatic isolation, said Abu Rudeineh.

    The Fatah movement, headed by Arafat, said in a communique on Saturday that "this decision represents a political, diplomatic and legal victory to the Palestinian people, particularly since the decision considered the construction of the separation wall as aviolation to the International Law."

    The ICJ decision about the illegality of the separation wall was a "slap in the face of Israel that practices state and organized terrorism against Palestinians and disregards the internationalcommunity and international resolutions," the communique said.

    The ICJ advisory opinion should represent a start in regaining Palestinian rights and justice and should represent an incentive for the world's institutions, particularly the UN Security Council,to put an end to the Israeli violations and crimes, the communique continued.

    The Fatah also criticized the US position towards the ruling,saying it was a support to the state terrorism practiced by Israel against Palestinians.

    "The US position unveils the unjust bias to Israel and itscontinuous military escalations," and "this position urges us to head to the UN general commission to assume its responsibilitiestowards Palestinians," said the Fatah communique.Palestinian Islamic Resiistance Movement (Hamas) also hailed theICJ ruling and said in a communique on Saturday that "this provesthat Israel is just a renegade entity that violates allinternational laws and resolutions."

    "The ruling is clear evidence that this raping entity is a reason for the troubles and terrorism in the region and shows that this entity (Israel) is trying all the time to create atmospheres of wars and tensions," said Hamas.

    The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) also hailed on Saturday the ICJ ruling in a statement, saying that "the ruling is a step forward towards getting the United Nations its authorities back to implement its resolutions related to the Palestinian question."

    It called upon Palestine Liberation Organization to make a good use of the ICJ ruling, and "make a clear decision in relation to rejecting the US sponsorship of the peace process and move the fileof the Palestinian cause to the United Nations."The group reiterated that the ruling of the court must be fully implemented and adopted by the Security Council and by the UN General Assembly, adding "they should make all possible efforts to compel Israel to implement it."

    "Israel should respect the international law, in particular all resolutions issued by the United Nations and its Security Council that calls for ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state," the group said.

    Fathi Khdeirat, an activist of the Popular Committee to Resist the Wall told Xinhua that the ICJ ruling "came in the right direction to support the wakefulness of the world's conscious tosupport all our legal issues, especially tearing down the apartheid wall."

    "Israel was driven crazy after the court's ruling was made,although it was expected," said Khdeirat, adding that "we hope theruling would rehabilitate our broken hearts and minds." Enditem