In addition, the separation wall was being built.

The separation wall was another major source of injustice.

The construction of the separation wall violated every right of the Palestinians.

Israel was also continuing to build the separation wall, expanding its settlements and obliterating the Palestinian character of Jerusalem.

UNICEF activities covered the areas most affected by closures, demolitions, military incursions and the barrier.

The resolution also requested the Secretary General to establish a register of barrier related damages.

My country has previously expressed its opposition to the construction of the separation barrier in the occupied Palestinian territories.

One year after the International Court of Justice issued its opinion on the question of the separation wall, the Israeli Government has announced that it will accelerate its construction of that wall in East Jerusalem.

The separation wall was placing a further grievous burden on the Palestinian people and his delegation called upon Israel to comply fully with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and dismantle the wall.

In July 2004, the International Court of Justice had declared the construction of the separation wall to be in violation of international law.

As with continued settlement activity, Israel's ongoing construction of the barrier remains a source of deep concern.

While Norway recognizes Israel's security concerns, we cannot accept the construction of the separation barrier on occupied land in the West Bank.

The international community should again indicate that it was essential to cease construction of the separation wall in accordance with the decisions of the tenth special session of the General Assembly.

That resolution upheld the finding of the International Court of Justice that the Israeli separation wall is illegal and that Israel has an obligation to dismantle the wall and to make reparation for all damages caused by its construction.

Israel continues to build the separation wall, in violation of the 9 July 2004 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which held the wall's construction to be illegal and urged Israel to dismantle it and compensate Palestinians for damages incurred.

About seven years ago, they faced extinction, because Israel announced it would build a separation barrier, and part of this barrier would be built on top of the village.

Furthermore, the suffering of the Palestinians had been heightened by the continuing construction of the separation wall, the details and effects of which were set forth in paragraph 37 of the Special Committee's report.

Approximately 157,800 acres lies between the barrier and the Green Line, affecting an estimated 93,200 Palestinians located in these areas.

When work had begun on construction of the separation wall, thousands of additional acres of Palestinian lands, natural resources and water had been destroyed and thousands more Palestinians had been displaced.

As we have said, we believe that Israel should act in conformity with international law in respect of the construction of the separation barrier and settlement activities.

The barrier, together with more than 700 roadblocks, disrupted the flow of goods and people within the West Bank, as well as to and from Israel.

There can be no doubt that the intransigence of the Israeli Government with regard to its attitude towards Palestinian civilians, its expansionist policies and its insistence on the construction of the separation wall is counterproductive, as the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice makes clear, and is not in the interests of the region.

Thirdly, Israel continues its construction of the separation wall, which extends 720 kilometres 90 per cent of which is inside the West Bank, sometimes to a depth of 22 kilometres.

Likewise, we cannot ignore the arbitrary arrests, the targeted assassinations of Palestinian leaders and, of course, the building  notwithstanding the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of the separation wall.

Needless to say, Israel's construction of the separation wall fundamentally violates and ignores the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 9 July 2004, which viewed the wall as illegal and called upon Israel to demolish it and to compensate the Palestinians for any damage it has caused.

By early 2005, the barrier was approximately 205 km long, of which 24.1 km consisted of concrete slabs and 181 km was fence like in structure.

It was slow going, but hopes remained high until September 18, when a canary inserted beyond a bulkhead by oxygen tank equipped workers died.

In recent years there had been a further deterioration of the situation, particularly since the construction of the separation wall had begun and despite the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and the General Assembly resolution which had called on Israel to abide by its legal obligations and to cease the construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

However, despite this positive picture, a climate of protracted social and humanitarian crisis endured through the year, punctuated by an intensification of the conflict, ongoing barrier construction and persistent fiscal crisis.

Arbitrary Israeli practices and the construction of the wall which have resulted in the deterioration of the situation in Palestinian territory and have had negative repercussions in the region, especially in Jordan, must cease.

Economic conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories were now critical as a result and had been exacerbated by the continuing construction of the separation wall, which also had immediate repercussions on his own country and threatened its security.

Its continued operations in the region were crucial for addressing the humanitarian crisis the Palestinians were experiencing, particularly as a result of the intensification of Israeli military operations and the construction of the separation wall.

We find it highly regrettable that the Security Council has not been able to look into the specific question of the separation wall in accordance with its functions and powers under Article 24 of the United Nations Charter.

The separation wall was designed to isolate the Palestinian people with the ultimate aim of destroying their political, social and economic unity on spurious security grounds that had no connection with what was happening on the ground.

The ongoing destruction caused by the separation wall was another factor that undermined the population's humanitarian and human rights and had turned the territory into a vast open air prison unprecedented in modern times.

While civilians obviously have a right to demonstrate, they are evidently being organized and escorted to stage protests in the dangerous, heavily mined buffer strip, in front of the military positions at the berm.

Land confiscations combined with access restrictions associated with the barrier were estimated to have cost Palestinians approximately 320 million in lost property and income,1 while the barrier made Palestinian access to Israel's labour and commodity markets more difficult.6

Moreover, aggressive counter terrorism activities and the separation barrier have decisively reduced cross border attacks, containing mounting pressure in Palestine as the conflict remains on the back burner.

The recent developments in connection with Israeli settlements represented a further aspect of the Palestinians' gradual loss of control over their national identity and lands, which were losing their contiguity owing to the construction of the separation wall, road closures and checkpoints.

However, the continuation of violence and attacks on civilians, the intensified expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the continued construction of the separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, in contravention of international law, remains a matter of deep concern.

Israel was continuing to construct the separation wall. The wall was 720 kilometres long and 90 per cent of it was inside the West Bank at a depth of up to 22 kilometres, dividing Palestinian towns and villages and making the life of their population almost impossible.

Israel continued its construction of the barrier in the West Bank, contrary to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 9 July 2004 and General Assembly resolutions ES 10 13 and ES 10 15.

The separation wall, said to be intended to prevent incursions by terrorists, not only had a negative impact on the lives of Palestinians, but could also prejudge the final outcome of the negotiations.

Wall to Wall Wal Mart?

Yet South Africa remains concerned that these latest opportunities for peace in the Middle East may be squandered if decisive action is not taken to stop the construction of settlements on Palestinian lands and to halt and reverse the construction of the separation wall.