Hundreds of Palestinians living along the Egypt-Gaza border will soon lose their homes to Israeli bulldozers.
| Rantburgers will be relieved to know that the Israelis have made provisions for the baby ducks. |
Israeli army chief Moshe Yaalon says the houses in the area of Rafah are marked for destruction and the Israeli Supreme Court is backing them up. The court's three judges say that after one of the bloodiest weeks in the current round of fighting, the army has a "real, imminent need'' justifying the destruction. Thirteen Israeli soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip last week.
The destruction plans came as Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinians as they tried to cross the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening, Israel Radio reported. Earlier in the day, Israeli missiles struck a branch office of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement and a building housing a pro-Hamas newspaper. The campaign appeared to be continuing Monday morning, as Israeli helicopters fired five missiles at an apartment building housing a Fatah movement office in the Gaza City neighborhood Zeitoun. Zeitoun was the site of heavy fighting last week after Palestinians blew up an Israeli armored personnel carrier, killing six soldiers.
The United Nations and the European Union have condemned the Israeli practice of bulldozing people's homes suspected as hideouts or cover for militants.
| Far better to rehab them into condos. |
The United Nations says Israel has made more than 12,000 families and colleagues of terrorists people homeless in Rafah since the start of a Palestinian uprising when peace talks failed in September 2000. They say further demolitions would be in "grave breach" of unilaterally-enforced international law applied only against Israel and the U.S..
This past Friday, army "Corrie" bulldozers demolished 88 houses in Rafah, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency, which aids refugees. The demolitions left about 1,000 Palestinians homeless, UNRWA said. Peter Hansen, the UNRWA chief, said he was "extremely alarmed" by Israel's plans to take down more homes.
| "Youse guys keep dis up and I won't haves me meal ticket!" |
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell also expressed rare criticism of Israeli policy, by announcing that the U.S. is also opposed to destroying the homes adjacent to the "Philadelphi" buffer zone. "We don't think that is productive," Powell said at the World Economic Forum in Jordan. "We know Israel has a right for self-defence, but the kind of actions that they're taking in Rafah with the destruction of Palestinian homes, we oppose."
"Marvin! Do I really have to say all this crap?"
"Yes, Mr. Secretary, it's part of the plan."
"Arrgh, someday, Marvin, someday I'll say what I really think."
"Not while you're a diplomat, Mr. Secretary." |
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