This week marks the fifth anniversary of the International Court of Justice’s ruling against Israel’s controversial separation barrier, which  is still under construction in and around the West Bank. According to a report from the UN High Commission for Human Rights, about 60 percent of the barrier has been constructed.

Israel says the barrier is aimed at preventing Palestinian terrorism, and says that since the wall has been built there has been a significant drop in attacks. However, the ICJ condemned Israel’s construction of the barrier on land within the West Bank-land Palestinians want for a future state-instead of on the Israeli side of the green line (the 1949 armistice line).

The separation barrier leaves some 80 percent of Jewish settlements on the Israeli side, leading the the ICJ to conclude that “the construction of the wall and its associated regime create a ‘fait accompli’ on the ground that could well become permanent, in which case, . . . [the construction of the wall] would be tantamount to de facto annexation” of Palestinian lands. (Read the entire text of that decision here).

In response to the ICJ’s ruling, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued this statement, where it argued that the ICJ’s ruling on the barrier was the result of a “politically motivated maneuver.” It denies the permanence of the barrier: “The fence is reversible, whereas the lives taken by terrorism are not. Moreover, the fence works. It is a temporary, non-violent security measure and it saves lives.”

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters this week that thanks to the barrier there’s been a “90% plus” reduction in suicide attacks by Palestinians in Israel.

Many Palestinians reject that idea and say the reduction in suicide attacks has nothing to do with the barrier which, after all, they say, is not yet complete and the border between the West Bank and Israel is still porous in many places.

Human rights organizations such as the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem and the UN Office for the Cordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) complain of the hardships the wall causes for Palestinians (see their new report on the barrier for 2009 here). They cite the difficulties created by the barrier for Palestinians to access health care, education, farming lands and, in some cases, family members. The OCHA says that the barrier will surround some 125,000 Palestinians on three sides, and another 26,000 on all four sides with a tunnel or road leading out to the West Bank.

The separation barrier has become a focal point for all manner of protests. Check out our video here on the ICJ’s 5th anniversary ruling against the separation barrier–which includes clips of a visit from Roger Waters, former bassist and songwriter of the English rock band Pink Floyd, footage of some of the famous pieces done by the infamous graffitti artist Banksy, and other protest murals. There’s also clips from UN, Israeli, and PA spokesmen, and shots of the latest anti-barrier demonstration in Bilin.

If you’re looking for more information on the barrier and the ICJ ruling, you can also check out our blog from last year on the ICJ’s separation barrier ruling.