Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered construction to continue on Israel's West Bank separation barrier, despite a non-binding World Court ruling declaring the barrier illegal.
The Sharon order comes 48 hours after the International Court of Justice ruled the illegal barrier should be dismantled.
Hours before Mr. Sharon's order Sunday, Palestinian militants detonated a bomb near a Tel Aviv bus station that killed an Israeli soldier and wounded more than 20 other people.
Mr. Sharon linked the blast to the court ruling, saying the decision will work to encourage militants to strike at Israel.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility. It said the attack was a retaliation for Israeli targeted killings in the West Bank and Gaza.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.