Israelis to Demolish an Entire Village

[John M Cox <coxj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.ummahnews.com/viewarticle.php?sid=1052
http://www.jerusalem.indymedia.org/news/2003/01/101535.php

Palestine Independent Media Center
Israelis To Demolish Entire Palestinian Village
by Tom ¢ Wednesday January 15, 2003 at 08:39 AM
    Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Urgent Press Release -
    For Immediate Release Contact: Robert Younes, M.D.
    pr@xxxxxxxxx 202 939-6050

Israeli bulldozers will destroy the entire village of Al-Daba' in the Qalqilya
district. The village consists of 250 Palestinians living in 42 houses. Sixty
ton American made armored Caterpillar D-9 bulldozers will make short
work of 42 houses, 600-700 dunums of agricultural land, a mosque, and an
elementary school for 132 children.

The military order was issued 30 days ago and required the clearing of 50
meters of land next to the billion dollar wall (financed by the United States)
being built to separate Palestinian land from Israel in the northern part of
the West Bank. The clearing operation has exceeded its orders and now the
destruction will extend 500 meters into the West Bank and engulf the
village of Al-Daba'.

Construction of the 8-meter high, 360-kilometer long wall has been
proceeding inside the 1967 armistice line. When completed, an additional
seven percent of Palestinian land will be confiscated and if the wall is
extended to Hebron, ten percent of land will move to the Israeli side of the
border. When completed, the wall will be fitted with motion sensors,
observation towers every 300 meters, barbed wire, and a two-meter deep
ditch to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel. Many observers believe
that the wall is being built because Israel has failed to halt Palestinians by
other means from crossing to Israel to find work to support their families.
The Israeli wall has been compared to the Cold War's Berlin Wall,
separating the East and West Berlin, constructed by the East Germans to
prevent escape to freedom. To the contrary, the Israeli wall creates a
concentration camp of the West Bank.

The Al-Daba' land confiscation is just the latest outrage of land stealing.
Thus far, since 1967, Israel has confiscated 750,000 acres of the 1.5 million
acres of Palestinian land in the West Bank and Gaza. Ariel Sharon initiated
land confiscation and settlement construction in 1967 as Israel's Minister of
Housing. It is clear that Israel's confiscation and control of large portions of
the West Bank and Gaza for sites to construct settlements and its refusal
consider negotiations about the land is a strategy designed to permanently
annex the land and thus prevent a meaningful and fair peace settlement.

Israel's proposed action with respect to the village of Al-Daba' will
constitute a violation of the Geneva Convention of 1949. Article 4 and 94
relates to denial of children's education, Article 17 and 49 relates to forced
transfer of populations, Article 39 relates to ability to work, Article 46
relates to property confiscation, and Article 53 relates to destruction of
property. All of these violations represent indictable war crimes punishable
by imprisonment.

Support the people of Al-Daba' and send messages to demand intervention
to prevent its destruction.

American Consulate, Jerusalem Email: keenme@xxxxxxxxx, Fax: +972-(0)2-
627-7230

European Union, Jerusalem, Email mailto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Fax: + 972-
(0)2-532 6249

UN Special Coordinator, Gaza, Email unsco@xxxxxxxxxx, Fax: +972-(0)8-
282-0966


The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, PO Box 53062,
Washington DC 20009 Phone: (202) 939-6050, Fax: (202) 265-4574, Toll
Free: (800) 368-5788, http://www.wrmea.com





~~~~~~~
PLEASE clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.