[Marxism] In Israel Law of the Lawless Ruled Supreme- Ethnic Cleansing Given OK by Courts

["Tony Abdo" <gojack10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Israel Threatens to Destroy Hundreds of Gaza Homes
By Jeffrey Heller

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's top general threatened Sunday to destroy
hundreds of Palestinian refugee homes after the Supreme Court cleared the
way for demolitions in a flashpoint Israeli-held corridor on the Gaza-Egypt
border.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States opposed the
destruction of homes in Rafah, adjacent to the "Philadelphi" buffer zone.

The United Nations says Israel has made more than 12,000 people homeless in
Rafah since the start of a Palestinian uprising when peace talks failed in
September 2000, and further demolitions would be in "grave breach" of
international law.

"Hundreds of houses have been marked for destruction," a senior official
quoted Israeli army chief Moshe Yaalon as telling the cabinet at its weekly
meeting, without giving any timeframe for their demolition.

The court, in refusing to block the demolitions, appeared to set broad terms
for bulldozing homes, saying the army could destroy houses for operational
purposes or to protect soldiers.

The demolitions are likely to make thousands of Palestinians homeless.
Dozens have already started to evacuate their homes in the camp after
learning of the decision. "I don't know what to take. I will start with
clothes or the refrigerator or the television," said Abed al-Majid Abu
Shamala, 52, preparing to flee a four-story dwelling.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie accused the Israeli court ruling of
permitting "ethnic cleansing crimes and collective punishment of innocent
civilians." In a statement, he urged the international community to
intervene.

At least 29 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, and 13 Israel
soldiers were killed in fierce fighting in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites)
in the past week.

Seven soldiers died in or near the Rafah buffer area, which Israeli
officials said would be widened to make it safer to patrol and less
accessible to militants who smuggle weapons in by tunnel from Egypt.

Yaalon told the cabinet that houses picked for demolition were believed to
be concealing tunnels or to have been used by gunmen attacking soldiers.


MORE THAN A THOUSAND HOMELESS
U.N. relief officials estimated that Israeli armored bulldozers leveled more
than 80 buildings in Rafah in the past days, leaving about 1,100
Palestinians homeless. The army said it demolished structures that provided
cover for armed men.

"We are extremely alarmed that even more demolitions are planned," said
UNRWA chief Peter Hansen in a statement.

At a news conference in Jordan, Powell said Washington recognized an Israeli
right to self-defense "but the kind of action they are taking in Rafah with
the destruction of Palestinian homes we oppose."

Powell also rebuked President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) for urging
Palestinians, in a speech Saturday, to "terrorise the enemy."

Arafat told reporters in the West Bank that demolitions carried out so far
in Rafah were another example of Israel's "sinful aggression against our
people and our land."

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) told his cabinet that Israel
would not permit militants to attain weapons capabilities "which would
threaten the heart of the nation even after our disengagement from Gaza."

Sharon also said Israel was in contact with Egypt to amend their peace
treaty to allow Egypt to deploy more forces in Sinai and help secure its
border with Gaza, an Israeli official said.

Some 120,000 Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv Saturday in support of Sharon's
stalled Gaza plan to evacuate all Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the
West Bank, which senior officials said he would resubmit with minor
alterations.

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