UNITED NATIONS, July 21 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Wednesday that Israel should heed a world court ruling to tear down part of its West Bank barrier, which the Jewish state has already said it will not do.
"They should heed and pay attention to the court`s decision, even though it`s not enforceable. It has some moral bearing on what they do," Annan told a press conference at UN headquarters in New York.
His remarks came a day after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding that Israel comply with the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.
Israel also rejected that resolution and vowed to continue building the barrier, which it says has cut Palestinian attacks by 90 percent.
Annan cited a ruling by the Israeli courts which called for part of the 425-mile (700-kilometre) barrier to be re-routed, saying: "One cannot say the international court was entirely wrong."
He added: "The decision by the Israeli court was also courageous and a bold decision, which said a lot for the Israeli judiciary system."
Late Tuesday, the General Assembly voted 150-6 with 10 abstentions to demand that Israel implement the ICJ`s non-binding ruling.