The report is to focus on the discrepancies between Israeli promises that the wall will not burden the lives of the Palestinians and the facts on the ground

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, January 8 (IslamOnline.net) - The U.S. State Department is expected to strongly slam Israel’s separation wall in the West Bank in its annual human rights report, due for publication in March 2003. 

The U.S. administration has already informed Israel that the issue of the wall will take up a significant part of the chapter on Israel and the occupied territories, Haaretz reported on Thursday, January 8.

U.S. questions on the barrier have focused on the discrepancies between Israeli promises that the wall will not burden the lives of the Palestinians living near it and the facts on the ground.

While compiling its report, the State Department was “flooded” with information from human rights groups operating in the territories.

The U.S. has, however, promised Israel that it will try to maintain “balance” in the final report, the Israeli daily said.

The defiant Israeli government of Ariel Sharon approved in October 2003 a new 100-million-dollar section of the controversial barrier, despite the heavy dose of world criticisms against the move.

Analysts has accused Washington of warding off world-wide pressures to dismantle the barrier under an implicit agreement – or acquaintance - from Washington.

They cited the veto  the U.S. used to scupper an Arab-proposed U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the barrier on October 15.

U.S. President George Bush had previously described the wall as "a problem"  obstructing the creation of a Palestinian state.

However, he dropped  the term four days later when Sharon was visiting him in the White House.

ICJ Battle

In the meantime, officials at the Prime Minister's Bureau in occupied Jerusalem held a preliminary discussion Wednesday on Israel's line of defense that will be presented during the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) discussion on the separation wall.

It was decided during the meeting to set up a number of teams to handle the matter, under the coordination of Sharon's bureau chief, Dov Weisglass, Haaretz said.

The Palestinians have prepared for the discussion that are being coordinated with the Egyptian, Jordanian and other foreign ministries, as well as the Arab League - in an effort to present a “united Arab front”.

U.N. General Assembly on December 8, approved a resolution calling for the ICJ to give a legal ruling on Israel's controversial wall, a move cheered by the Palestinians but jeered by the Israelis.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is likely to appear before the court.

Annan had earlier described the controversial wall as a blow to peace and a  “deeply counterproductive” act in violation of International Law.

He backed Palestinian complaints, saying he was troubled by a long-standing occupation and almost-daily incursions.

When completed, the barrier will run as deep as 22 kilometers into West Bank land and cut off some 400,000 Palestinians.

Israel claims that the 600 kilometers (320 miles) barrier is necessary to protect its citizens against Palestinian bombers.

But the Palestinians charge that it is intended to predetermine the borders of any independent state they obtain in the future, as many resistance groups maintain that attacks would be stopped only with an end to the occupation.