Since the beginning of the current Intifada in September 2000 until April 30 2003, a total of 12,737 people had seen their HOMEs demolished in Gaza and the West Bank. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is responsible for the welfare for almost all of those affected, is trying to raise donor funds to replace the lost shelters in the occupied Palestinian territory. Recent months have seen a sharp increase in house demolitions in the Gaza Strip. At the end of 2002, total and partial demolitions had until then averaged under 30 per month. In the first three months of 2003, 221 shelters were demolished or damaged beyond repair - making an average of 74 per month. These alone housed 401 families (2,273 persons). According to UNRWA, the total number of Palestinians made HOMEless by Israeli's military demolition campaign climbed above 12,000 in April, 2003 following a rapid acceleration of the policy in Gaza during the first quarter of this year.

Demolitions often occur late at night with little or no warning. Israeli military units - supported by tanks, APCs and helicopters - enter Palestinian areas to destroy a variety of targeted houses. A great many demolitions have occurred near Gaza's border with Egypt where Israel is building a security fence. Houses close to settlements are often also destroyed. In some cases the demolished buildings belong to the families of militants or Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. Increasingly, explosives rather than bulldozers are used to destroy property creating widespread collateral damage. UNRWA has so far been able to complete only 158 new shelters for HOMEless families and is working on 160 more. A further 471 shelters, including those destroyed in Jenin in April 2002, are at the planning and design stage, but security concerns have caused delays to rebuilding.

Meantime, the Apartheid Wall is another tool designed to steal more Palestinian land and make life intolerable for the Palestinians so that they would "voluntarily" leave their HOMEland and facilitate the job for the guardians of the racist colonial project in Palestine. Associated Press quoted Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast told the Security Council on June 13^th, 2003 as saying : “suspending construction of the wall would contribute to the overall effort to improve security and humanitarian conditions and restart the political process,"

"While understanding the dilemma that Israel faces in deciding how to protect itself from terrorist attacks, nevertheless, in light of developments since construction on the wall began, we believe that work on the wall should be halted," Prendergast added. The best way, I think, for Israel to protect itself against any attack is to deny others every justification for launching attacks. Neither its 600 kilometer would be built wall nor its around the clock blitz would provide security. "It potentially separates tens of thousands of Palestinians from their agricultural lands, wells, markets, schools, health clinics and hospitals," Prendergast said. "By the end of July, 12,000 Palestinians in 15 villages could find themselves wedged between the wall and the Green Line," he said. "A further 138,000 Palestinians in 16 localities could be surrounded on three sides by the wall." Prendergast said the wall's construction could also have "obvious adverse implications for the peace process" given that it lies well inside the West Bank and not along the Green Line. According to Ha’aretz as quoted, 14 June, 2003, "It could easily be seen as jeopardizing the territorial contiguity of a Palestinian state and thereby inhibiting the establishment of a Palestinian state,".

One would wonder if the shelter less occupied is left with variety of options other than to resist. The resistance against the occupation is enshrined and legalized by international laws and norms. What is expected from the unarmed when they are faced by an armed to teeth occupation Army, whose main task is to occupy the more of land! It is however an endless dilemma for all; civilians from all sides should be spared the burning flames of the ongoing. A child, pregnant woman , old man or woman should be spared by all sides. This depends more on the side equipped with the most sophisticated up to date lethal weapons. It should first halt its arbitrary killing and random shelling. So instead of demolishment and bulldozing, building houses,, hospitals and schools would shorten the distance!

BY

Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim

Abdo88@ureach.com

Policy  HOME    Golan   News