TWO HOMES DEMOLISHED NEAR JERUSALEM
AS SIEGE CONTINUES ON THE WEST BANK AND GAZA
4 August, 1997
Exploiting this tense period in the wake of last week’s bombing in Jerusalem and as international attention is focused on the search for the perpetrators, the Israeli military demolished two homes in the Jerusalem area on 3 August. One home was demolished in Anata and the other in al Ram, both West Bank villages (in Area C) near Jerusalem. These homes were destroyed while the West Bank continues to reel from five days of heightened closure, or siege - a type of collective punishment restricting the movement of all Palestinian residents and goods between the cities of the Occupied Territories, and between the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. The siege has no effect on the more than 136,000 illegal Jewish settlers living in the West Bank and Gaza, who continue to travel freely to and from the West Bank every day.
The Siege:
Immediately following the bombings, Israel undertook several severe collective measures reminiscent of its military occupation tactics. First, all of the major Palestinian cities under Palestinian control (Areas A) were sealed and put under siege. Second the Israeli military arrested nearly 200 Palestinians, even though security sources reported that the bombers may have come from Jordan or Lebanon. In addition, the Israeli Cabinet approved the entrance and operation of undercover units into Areas A, directly challenging the sovereignty of the Palestinian Authority as established under the Oslo Agreement. The Israeli government also authorized the scrambling of Palestinian radio and confiscated taxes that were to be paid to the Palestinian Authority, an amount which constitutes 60% of the PA’s budget. It is unclear how these measures will improve Israel’s security.
The Jordan and Egyptian borders have been closed at Allenby and Rafiah.
LAW condemns the ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, and views it as an inflammatory and tragic policy aimed at cleansing areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem of a Palestinian presence. In addition, LAW views the imposition of the siege and the total closure as a collective punishment on the entire Palestinian population, and in violation of international law and norms of behavior for an Occupier. It is clear that closures such as have existed since 1993 in the West Bank and Gaza do not deter attacks, and that oppressive tactics such as full siege only heighten tensions and punish the innocent.
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.