Israel is running roughshod; Emad Gad reports that some Israelis want to put on the brakes The sweeping demolition of homes in Rafah by Israeli forces was part of a plan to enlarge the Philadelphia Corridor on the Egyptian-Gaza borders by 200-300 metres. Taking the lower estimate, this would entail the demolition of about 800 Palestinian homes; if the higher estimate is used, it means about 2,000 homes turned to debris. Besides the demolition of civilian homes, which itself constitutes a violation of all international conventions and UN resolutions, during house demolitions Israeli occupation forces committed several other crimes. For example, Israeli forces fired missiles from helicopter gunships on civilian areas in which peaceful demonstrations were being held to protest against the demolitions. They also destroyed the infrastructure of the city of Rafah, the refugee camps and several densely populated areas. The demolition campaign in Rafah coincided with the one-year anniversary of the death of American peace activist Rachel Corrie who was killed on 16 March 2003 by an Israeli bulldozer while she was attempting to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in Rafah. The incident was a direct challenge to human conscience, particularly since the driver of the bulldozer intentionally ran Corrie over. More than one year after her death, Israeli forces continue to demolish homes and leave civilians homeless, sometimes as punishment for resistance operations, other times in pursuit of members of Palestinian organisations or for security considerations, which is the case with the expansion of the Philadelphia Corridor. House demolitions and the murder of innocent civilians have aroused the indignation of many nations and international human rights organisations. Some described events in Rafah as war crimes for which Israel can be held legally responsible as a traditional occupying power, along with Israeli officials who gave the orders and implemented them. Amnesty International described what went on in Rafah and the Rafah refugee camp as a crime against humanity. With time, as the Israeli government has come to see that it is above international law and accountability due to American legal and political protection, Israeli occupation forces have begun to commit such crimes with indifference, ignoring international criticism. Israel was further emboldened when the US threatened to use its veto to prevent a Security Council resolution that would condemn it for committing crimes against humanity in Rafah. Owing to US pressure, the language of the resolution was watered down but even so, Washington preferred to abstain from the voting, sending a clear message that it would continue to protect Israel and challenge the international community. Nevertheless, the terrifying scenes of murder and destruction seem to have stirred the conscience of many Israelis who turned out to demonstrate against these crimes. At the same time, Israeli Minister of Justice Tommy Lapid, head of the Shinui Party, was led to declare that the scene of an elderly Palestinian woman looking for her medicine under the rubble reminded him of his grandmother who suffered in the Nazi Holocaust. "The elderly woman in Rafah seen looking for her medicine in the rubble of her home, demolished by Israeli bulldozers, reminded me of my grandmother who suffered from the Nazi persecution of Jews," Lapid said in a cabinet session last Sunday. He warned of the danger of continuing demolitions in Rafah. "Ultimately they will expel us from the United Nations," Lapid said. "Those responsible will be brought before the International Court of Justice in The Hague and the entire world will boycott us. The world will stand up to us and stop us." His words raised the ire of extreme right-wing Israeli ministers, including Ariel Sharon himself. Sharon even asked Lapid to retract his statements because they could be taken as a condemnation of the occupation forces and could be used in any future legal proceedings to try Israeli war criminals. Israeli violations also seem to have energised peace activists and Israeli refuseniks who refuse to do their military service in the occupied territories. Partisans of peace in Israel began to break their silence and demand that the demolitions, death and destruction be stopped. More than one Israeli NGO published reports about the substantial violations of Palestinian rights. At the same time, dozens of Israeli leftists, intellectuals and refuseniks have demanded that the Israeli High Court of Justice issue an injunction preventing the appointment of former Israeli Air Force Commander Maj Gen Dan Halutz to the office of deputy chief of general staff. They argued that Halutz was responsible for ordering air raids that left dozens of Palestinians dead, including women and children. Thus, they argued, Halutz was implicated in war crimes and should not be allowed to serve in high office. Meanwhile, an opinion poll conducted by the Israeli Institute for Democracy, published in Yediot Aharonot on 23 May revealed a growing number of refuseniks among Israeli young people. A total of 43 per cent of Israeli youth support refusal of duty in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as the evacuation of settlements. It is important to keep our eye on internal Israeli affairs at this point as opposition to crimes against the Palestinians and support for refusal grow. While the majority of Israelis still support the policies of the extreme right-wing government and while Israeli public opinion still cleaves to the right, publicising Israeli crimes as widely as possible helps to increase the opposition to Israeli aggression and the occupation. It must be said that the sense among Israel's political and military elite that the US is obliged to offer political and legal protection and that Washington is required to treat Israel as if it is a nation above international law and accountability represents the major obstacle to the end of hostile, murderous policies. Thus, the US bears a large measure of responsibility for Israeli war crimes and, in turn, obstructing a just and comprehensive political settlement in the Middle East. Arabs Against Discrimination (AAD) has many details on these developments on its Web site and it has prepared a file on Rachel Corrie. AAD has also written a letter of condolence, calling on all those who support peace to sign the letter and send it to Corrie's family and the International Solidarity Movement. AAD's Web site is www.aad-online.org
