Israel chides EU on barrier vote

Gillerman said Europe should not be able to decide how Israel defends its citizens

Israel has summoned three EU ambassadors to protest against the union's support for a UN resolution condemning the West Bank barrier.

A Foreign Ministry official told the diplomats their position raised doubts about the EU's ability to contribute constructively to the peace process.

The UN General Assembly approved the non-binding resolution on Tuesday.

But aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have said work will continue on the barrier.

France behaved in a particularly disgraceful fashion by acting for its Palestinian friends and convincing the other European countries to adopt this resolution Dan Gillerman Israeli UN ambassador

Palestinians hailed the vote as a major diplomatic victory.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also said Israel should heed the ruling because it had "some moral bearing".

All 25 EU countries backed the resolution after persuading the Palestinians and their supporters to modify its wording to condemn terrorism and call for both sides to meet their obligations under the roadmap to peace.

But the result prompted Israel to summon the Dutch, British and EU ambassadors.

"Israel is particularly disappointed with the European position, the readiness of the European Union to toe the same line as the Palestinians...even at the price of compromising on the basic principles of justice and morality," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Israel's UN ambassador Dan Gillerman singled out France, which he said had behaved in a "disgraceful fashion" by convincing other European countries to adopt the resolution.

Low impact

European countries defended the vote.

Guide to the route and structure of the West Bank barrier

At-a-glance

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says that Israel must act in accordance with international law and that the construction of a barrier on occupied territory is unlawful.

The EU is part of the quartet of Middle East peace mediators, along with Russia, the United States, and the UN. Russia also voted for the resolution.

The BBC's James Reynolds in Jerusalem says the current argument may not have all that much impact on Europe's role in the diplomatic process because its role is limited.

The EU had been involved with the roadmap, but that plan has been lifeless for more than 10 months as Israel prefers to press ahead with its own disengagement plan - a unilateral withdrawal of soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip - to which the EU has had little notable input.

Court ruling

The non-binding resolution was passed on Tuesday with 150 in favour, six opposed and 10 abstentions.

It was drafted after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the barrier illegally cut into Palestinian land.

VOTES AGAINST RESOLUTION Australia Israel Marshall Islands Micronesia Palau United States

Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Mr Sharon, suggested that the building of the barrier would continue.

"We have the right... to take necessary defensive measures against this horrendous phenomenon of suicide and homicide killings," he told the BBC World Service's World Update programme.

Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator, said the General Assembly had taken the most important decision affecting his people since 1947, when the UN agreed to the creation of the state of Israel.

The Palestinian Authority has said it will delay pushing for a UN Security Council resolution until after the US presidential election in November.

The 191-nation General Assembly has no power to force countries to act on its recommendations.

While the issue could go to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose economic sanctions, the US would be likely to veto any such action.

US Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham said that the resolution was unbalanced and called for "the focus [to] remain on President Bush's vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side".