"The fence is a temporary security measure with no political meaning and can be removed," he said at a press conference in Jerusalem, defining the vast barrier as "reversible".

He stressed that no decision had been made by Israel's inner cabinet to modify the route of the barrier -- which Israel now calls "the counter-terror fence" and the Palestinians call "the apartheid wall".

Members of the inner cabinet met Sunday to draw up a strategy for an International Court of Justice hearing on the issue.

The legality of the barrier, which has drawn condemnation even from Israel's top ally the United States, is to be debated by the court based in The Hague on February 23 following an Arab-backed request by the UN General Assembly.

Although the court can only give an advisory opinion and its rulings are not legally binding, a negative verdict would be hugely embarrassing to Israel.

But Shalom said the barrier could be dismantled if Israel and the Palestinians reached a peace accord.

"If we come to any kind of agreement with the Palestinians, and we agree together to move the fence, we will do it," he said, pointing out that Israel had extensive experience in removing defensive measures.

"When we signed the peace treaty with Egypt we moved the fence. When we signed the peace treaty with Jordan, we moved the fence once again. And when we withdrew from Lebanon, we moved the fence once again," he said.

"So this a temporary security fence."

Israel claims the barrier is vital to its security and will prevent infiltrations by Palestinian attackers. But the Palestinians say it is a unilateral land grab and a bid to pre-empt the borders of a future Palestinian state.

"The fence works -- it saves lives," said Shalom. "While the fence is reversible, human lives are irreversible."

He hinted that if the two parties began negotiating again, Israel might reconsider construction of the barrier altogether.

"If the Palestinians resume the negotiations ... it will bring us maybe to reconsider the whole issue of the fence," he said, stressing the barrier was "a fence and not a wall".

The barrier, which -- at its full extent -- is to stretch 730 kilometres (about 450 miles), is a montage of fencing, trenches and in certain areas, an eight-metre (25-foot) high concrete wall.

WAR.WIRE