[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Israel [official website, in Hebrew] blocked a controversial government proposal on Thursday to extend the West Bank separation barrier through the historic Cremisan valley. Israel has been building the barrier to prevent Palestinian attacks in Israel. The Israeli Defense Ministry [official website, in Hebrew] had planned to extend [AP report] the wall through Palestinian farmlands, which would also divide Vatican land between a Roman Catholic monastery and a convent school. Under the rejected plan [Guardian report], the school would have been on the Palestinian side of the wall, meaning the children would have had to cross a military checkpoint to get to school. The monastery, convent and Palestinian landowners urged officials to build the wall closer to Jerusalem to save the valley, appealing directly to Pope Francis. The court ordered that the government find a less disruptive route for the barrier.

The Israel-Palestine conflict [HRW backgrounder] continues to be a significant international legal issue. In November the UN Human Rights Council urged Israel to investigate [JURIST report] alleged violations committed by its forces during the recent conflict in Gaza. The 2014 conflict lasted from July 8 to August 26, resulting in more than 100,000 buildings damaged and nearly 2,200 deaths, with a high quantity of civilian casualties. In September Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] accused the Israeli military of committing war crimes [JURIST report] by attacking schools where hundreds of displaced Palestinians sought shelter. Also in September the Shurat HaDin of the Israel Law Center asked the International Criminal Court to open an investigation [JURIST report] into alleged war crimes committed by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.