In his January 20, 2004 State of the Union speech President Bush was criticized for not even mentioning the plight of the Palestinians. President Bush completely ignored the blatant Israeli policy of human rights violations that the Israel military occupation has sustained against the Palestinians for decades now. The same cannot be said for his proposed $2.4 trillion Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2005, which was transmitted to Congress on February 2, 2004 and covers the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2004. The budget is planned to be brought to the floor of both the House and Senate between July 1 and September 30 and is riddled with references to the Palestinian issue. Sam Bahour reports from Palestine. Read more about Palestinian Issue Riddles Bush's 2005 Budget 

Today, the EU presented its position regarding the hearing at the ICJ. In Strasbourg, Irish Foreign Minister Dick Roche, on behalf of the Council of Ministers, said that Israel must stop building this barrier and he deplored the “regrettably uncompromising” attitude of the Israeli government. The EU’s abstention during the vote at the UN General Assembly did not bring into question the fact that the EU was opposed to the wall, which is a violation of international law. The EU, however, doubted whether bringing the case before the ICJ would be useful. Read more about EU: "Israel must stop building barrier" 

Yesterday, an Israeli ministerial committee that prepares Israel’s position for the case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s Separation Wall decided to not appear at oral hearings due to begin on February 23, 2004. The committee, chaired by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, accepted the recommendations made by a steering committee, made up of Israeli senior advisors, that discussed Israel’s position on Monday, and decided to suffice with the written declaration that Israel submitted on January 30, 2004. Read more about Israel won't appear at ICJ hearing on Israel’s separation wall 

Ten years ago, backed by solidarity groups from all over the world, it appeared that the Intifada had succeeded in forcing Israel to recognize the PLO as sole representative of the Palestinian people. However, with Oslo made many groups felt that Palestinians were in control of their destiny. Today, only few will assert that Palestinians are in control of their destiny? Rifat Odeh Kassis believes we cannot afford to wait until initiatives such as the “Road Map” or “Geneva” are implemented. Read more about Seeking An Organized Solidarity 

The United States submitted a written statement to the International Court expressing its continuing view that the referral is inappropriate and may impede efforts to achieve progress towards a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. The statement emphasized the Quartet-led roadmap as the agreed upon method for moving forward and it urged the Court to give due regard to the principle that its advisory opinion jurisdiction is not intended as a means of circumventing the right of states to determine whether to submit their disputes to judicial settlement. Read more about US rejects ICJ jurisdiction on separation barrier 

“If you want the conflict to end and you want peace, can you really afford to ignore their points of view? Go ahead; try to make peace without the Palestinians, without understanding Palestinians’ experiences and their goals as they see them. They’re going to be at war for generations — go ahead,” Wendy Pearlman, author of Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from the Second Intifada, tells EI’s Maureen Clare Murphy. Pearlman , who interviewed 27 West Bank and Gazans for her new work oral history, explains to EI the challenges to publishing a book dedicated to understanding the hardships endured by Palestinians under Israeli military occupation. Read more about Interview: Wendy Pearlman, author of 'Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from the Second Intifada' 

In December of last year the United Nations General Assembly decided to request an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on one of the most controversial issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent years, Israel’s construction of a “security wall” in the Occupied Territories. The ICJ, often called the World Court, is based at the Peace Palace in The Hague and was established under the Charter of the United Nations, adopted in San Francisco in 1945. A judgement or an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice carries considerable weight. Shane Darcy explains the process and implications. Read more about Legality of Israel's Wall to be tested before the International Court of Justice 

The self-imposed US media blackout on the Wall’s construction finally began to lift last August when President Bush mentioned the problems created by Israel’s wall “snaking its way through the West Bank.” Last December, a year and half after bulldozers began cutting the Wall’s path through Palestinian villages, Thomas Friedman hosted a Discovery Channel program in association with The New York Times, and Bob Simon anchored a CBS 60 Minutes segment introducing the controversy surrounding one of the world’s largest construction projects. David Bloom, Patrick Connors, and Tom Wallace examine the two programs. Read more about The US Media and the Wall: Thomas Friedman and 60 Minutes