RAMALLAH, July 9, 2011 (WAFA) – Palestinians marked Saturday the seventh anniversary to the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences of the construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, stressed in a statement that the ICJ ruling is 'an invaluable legal instrument in the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom.' He called on the international community to uphold the Court’s decision.

“The ICJ Advisory Opinion was clear: The Wall is unjustified, it is illegal, it violates the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, and therefore, it must be dismantled,” said Erekat.

“Unfortunately, seven years after the ICJ’s ruling, the construction of the Wall is almost complete in flagrant violation of international law and the will of the international community,' he added.

Erekat accused Israel of using the construction of the wall as a pretext to continue with 'its illegal policy of home demolitions and land confiscations, resulting in untold hardships and the displacement and dispossession of thousands of our people.”

He said, “This historic ruling marked a new juncture in the Palestinian people’s march toward justice and freedom. Today, we remind all peace-loving states that the ICJ reaffirmed the international community’s legal duty towards the realization of these rights, including first and foremost our long overdue right to self-determination.”

Erekat called on the international community to assume its responsibility towards promoting peace by ensuring the implementation of the principles, rights, and recommendations outlined in the ICJ ruling.

“The recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border embodies the spirit and legal principles of the ICJ Advisory Opinion. Now is the time for states to make the sovereign decision to recognize Palestine and stand on the right side of history,” he concluded.

M.A.