Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Israel warned of apartheid boycott... Conscientious Objectors jailed: "Yosef Lapid spoke as Arab nations pitched in with the Palestinians to prepare a case against the barrier in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, scheduled for next month at the behest of the UN General Assembly. 'There is a very serious risk the World Court will rule against us . . . and this is liable to prompt the General Assembly into imposing all sorts of sanctions against us,' Mr Lapid told Israel Radio. 'We must review the fence's routing.' The barrier deviates from the West Bank boundary and in places cuts deep into occupied land to enclose Jewish settlements. 'There is a danger that we will be exposed to an international boycott as was the case before the fall of the regime in South Africa,' Mr Lapid told colleagues at a cabinet meeting, his spokesman, Tzahi Moshe, reported."

"On Sunday, five Israelis who refused to do compulsory military service in protest against the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip were jailed for a year, the first such sentences since the Palestinian revolt began three years ago... Recently, 13 reservists from Israel's top commando unit said they would not take part in operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a petition similar to one submitted in September by 27 reserve and retired air force fighter pilots."

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