European Union foreign ministers on Monday condemned an Israeli campaign of home demolitions in the Gaza Strip as disproportionate and urged Israel to stop the action immediately.
Meeting as Israeli forces launched a new operation in the flashpoint southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, they said the actions are illegal and against Israeli commitments under the international road map for peace.
The ministers ”condemned the large-scale demolition of Palestinian houses in the Rafah district of Gaza as disproportionate and in conflict with international law and also with Israel’s obligations under the road map”.
”The council [of EU ministers] called on the Israeli government to cease such demolitions immediately,” they added in a statement.
Israeli forces were pouring into Rafah on Monday at the start of a new operation, unleashed after the army received the green light from Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday, according to witnesses.
Rafah residents are seeking a freeze to the demolition campaign, which according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) has already left more than 1 000 people homeless since late last week.
Residents had obtained a temporary court injunction against the demolitions but judges ruled that they could be justified on security grounds.
The Israeli court rejected an appeal by Palestinians against the plan, which the army argues is needed for self-defence and does not amount to collective punishment.
The EU ministers reiterated calls to both sides to take action to stop the spiral of violence that has left the Middle East peace process in tatters.
”The council condemned terror attacks on Israel and called on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate action against terrorist groups and individuals who plan and execute such attacks,” they said.
But they said: ”Israel’s legitimate right to self-defence must be exercised within the parameters of international law.”
Rafah residents rescue possessions
Meanwhile, residents of Rafah on Monday grabbed their meagre possessions, piling them into cars and on to the back of donkeys, as they awaited the start of further demolition operations by the Israeli army.
As Israeli tanks and bulldozers gathered on the outskirts of Rafah, on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, locals who have already seen their lives ripped apart by previous rounds of demolitions once again prepared for the worse.
Many rushed to salvage clothing, furniture and family mementoes from their homes close to the ”Philadelphi road” bordering Egypt, where Israel has been conducting a long-standing campaign to smash tunnels used to smuggle arms under the border.
Those who could not afford any vehicles to drive away their possessions had to make do with donkeys or carry off by hand anything they could manage.
Most of Rafah’s residents are refugees, or the descendants of refugees, who were forced to leave their homes at the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Umm Ashraf (34) had already lost her home in the first round of demolitions late last week.
”We are more scared than ever and this time it is going to be more serious,” said the 34-year-old housewife who had been staying with friends but would now try to find temporary shelter.
”We have no choice now but to go and take cover in the mosques or schools and sleep there,” said Ashraf.
An UNWRA spokesperson said the agency has prepared emergency shelter for 1 600 residents in four schools — two in Rafah and another two in the nearby town of Khan Yunis.
”We have prepared stocks of food, water, mattresses and bedding,” Paul McCann said.
Abu Ayman Hashim (46) was busy buying food and other essential supplies in Rafah on Monday morning as he also braced himself for life on the streets.
But Hashim, who said he was not a member of any armed faction, added that Palestinians must remain defiant.
”The Israeli army is like a savage dog,” he said. ”But we will continue our struggle. The process of martyrs will continue until we liberate our land. All the people must be united in the face of Israeli occupation.” — Sapa-AFP