EFL, News
A defiant Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday that Israel will keep building its West Bank separation barrier, despite a world court ruling that the system of fences, trenches and walls is illegal and must be torn down. In Tel Aviv, Palestinian militants blew up a bus stop with a nail-studded bomb hidden in roadside shrubs, killing a female soldier and seriously wounding five people. It was the first deadly attack in Israel in four months, and Sharon linked it to the ruling against the barrier, which Israel says is needed to stop such attacks. ``The decision sends a destructive message to encourage terrorism, and denounces countries that are defending themselves against it,'' Sharon said. He promised an all-out diplomatic offensive against the ruling. The Palestinians also began preparations for what they said would be a long diplomatic battle. Although the court decision was nonbinding, the Palestinians hope to push the United Nations to enforce the ruling. |