Israel reroutes barrier ahead of ICJ hearing

"There's no connection between the two things," Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told Israel Radio.

But Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said in a television interview that Israel would reap "very positive media spin" from the move. Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat called it a public relations stunt.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

Civilian work crews using wire clippers cut into an eight-km section of electronic fence that separates the Palestinian village of Baka al-Sharqiya from the rest of the West Bank.

Israel pointed to a suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem that killed at least seven people and wounded dozens on Sunday as proof the barrier was needed even as one part was coming down.

The section being dismantled is only a fraction of the network of razor wire-tipped fences and towering cement walls that is planned to extend for 728km and already snakes into occupied territory Palestinians want for a state.

The segment was coming down following the completion last week of another part of the barrier dividing Baka al-Sharqiya in the northern West Bank from its sister village of Baka al-Gharbiya, which is just inside Israel.

"What has happened in Jerusalem today is evidence that we need the fence to keep out terrorist attacks," said Erik Snider, an Israeli army spokesman.

"We want to make a balance between the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian population and the Israeli security needs."

A military source said the section would take less than a week to dismantle. A project manager said some 8,000 Palestinians would be reconnected with the West Bank after the segment was removed.

Israel says the project has already stopped Palestinian suicide bombers from reaching its cities, but its route into the West Bank has drawn international criticism, including from the United States, Israel's main ally.

Palestinians call it a land grab and plan a "Day of Rage" at the start of hearings on Monday at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said on Saturday that the Israeli step did not go far enough, telling reporters: "We will not agree to even one millimeter of the barrier."

The World Court's ruling is non-binding, but Israel fears the United Nations General Assembly -- which asked for the advisory opinion and where pro-Palestinian sentiment is strong -- could use the ruling to lobby for sanctions against it.