58 Israeli Land Grab and Forced Population Transfer of Palestinians Annexation Wall With a total planned route of 708 km,202 the illegal construction of the Israeli Annexation Wall began in 2002 and continues to this day. Its path is not restricted to the 1949 Green Line (internationally recognized as the border between Israel and the future Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution), but instead strays deep into the West Bank, effectively annexing Jewish-Israeli colonies while entrapping Palestinian towns. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled by a majority of 14:1 that, where its path regularly strays into occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and the surrounding area, the Wall “…and its associated regime, are contrary to international law.” In addition, the ruling highlighted Israel's “…obligation to cease forthwith the works of construction of the wall…to dismantle forthwith the structure therein situated, and to repeal or render ineffective forthwith all legislative and regulatory acts relating thereto.”203 Almost one decade has passed since this judgment was made, yet Israel refuses to act upon any of these internationally-recognized obligations. To the contrary, Israel's construction of the Wall continues steadily, and its associated regime of discriminatory legislation and practices remain firmly in place. The path of the Wall has resulted in the de-facto annexation of 9.4 percent of the West Bank,204 and consequently, many Palestinian farmers find themselves in the position whereby the Wall has completely separated them from their land. In theory, these farmers are permitted to access their land for the purposes of tending and harvesting crops. However, this is subject to a number of limitations. HaMoked Center for the Defence of the Individual has observed that fewer and fewer access permits are being issued, and their validity periods are becoming progressively shorter. For example, in the period 2006-2009 there was a 59 percent decrease in the number of farmers allowed to cultivate their lands beyond the Wall.205 202 Al-Haq, The Annexation Wall and Its Associated Regime (Ramallah, 2012), 13; available from http:// www.alhaq.org/publications/publications-index/item/the-annexation-wall-and-its-associated-regime; accessed 23 April 2013. 203 International Court of Justice, ‘Legal Consequences of the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Advisory Opinion)’, International Court of Justice, July 9, 2004; available from http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?pr=71&code=mwp&p1=3&p2=4&p3=6&ca.; accessed 23 April 2013."plainCitation":"International Court of Justice, ‘Legal Consequences of the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Advisory Opinion 204 See: Al-Haq, The Annexation Wall and Its Associated Regime, 13. 205 HAMOKED- Center for the Defence of the Individual, ‘The Permit Regime in the Seam Zone: HCJ 9961/ 03’, n.d.; available from http://www.hamoked.org/Case.aspx?cID=Cases0099.; accessed 23 April 2013.