6) Rafah exposes the Israeli crimes  

Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, told the Israeli radio on 14/1/2002 “most of the houses that were demolished in Rafah were empty”.  And his Minister of Defense, Benyamin Ben Eliazer said that he approved the demolition of the houses on background that they were not inhabited by any civilians, as mentioned in al-Quds daily newspaper on 15/1/2002.

While Hashem Mahamid, the Arab member in the Israeli Parliament, said: “It is very rude from the Israeli government to claim that the houses that were demolished in Rafah were not inhabited.”  Mr. Mahamid affirmed that the Israeli army and government know the exact truth and the real number of houses that were demolished, but they were trying to look less brutal before the world.  The Israeli Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “B’tselem” said that the Palestinian houses that were demolished in Rafah were inhabited, denying the allegations of Minister of Defense Ben Eliazer, as mentioned in Al-Ayyam newspaper on 14/1/2002.

Fuad Rashid Abu-Libdeh (42 years old) is a Palestinian whose house was demolished by the Israeli bulldozers on 10/1/2002, he told the PHRMG:

I lived in my house with my family and the families of four of my brothers. A total of 24 people living in a house of 225 square meters.  The house was situated 110 meters away from the Egyptian border.  On the 10^th January 2002, four Israeli bulldozers protected by three military tanks invaded Block O and began demolishing the houses without any previous warning.  We ran away from the house leaving everything behind.  Just three days after that, I came back with my family to the house, because things have calmed down on the border and there was no gunfire for a few days.  Now I live in some stores that I rented, and I pay for them.  We received some help from the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, from President Arafat, UNRWA and some charitable societies.

Abu-Libdeh added that his children are afraid all the time; they feel as if there are Israeli soldiers following them everywhere.  It seems they suffer from a psychological disorder.  He finally said: “Our homes were not demolished in the time of war, now they are in the time of peace.”

The Israeli journalist Gideon Levi wrote, in an article that was published by al-Quds newspaper on 14/1/2002: “There is no relationship between the Palestinians whose houses were demolished in Rafah, and those who killed the four Bedouin Israeli soldiers in a military post on the border between Gaza Strip and Israel.  Such a savage act –the demolition of houses- doesn’t leave any credibility or respect to our policies.”

Dr. Eli Gorss, lecturer at Tel-Aviv University, said on Friday 10^th January 2002 in a rally organized by Gush Shalom, the Israeli peace movement: “The orders that an Israeli soldier receives asking him to demolish a house are illegal, and have a black flag flying over them.”

The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz described what happened in Rafah as a “disgraceful and savage action committed by the Israeli army, the Israelis should be ashamed of it. It is a crime of war.”  While Yediot Aharonot wrote “It was a revenge operation, not a security one.”  As mentioned by al-Hayat newspaper on 14/1/2002, the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shimon Peres said: “The policy of demolishing houses has made us –Israel- look bad in the international media.  We have to be careful in this issue.”

The leader of the Israeli opposition, Yossi Sarid, strongly refused the policy of house demolition, and said: “There is no justification for the attack on the Palestinian houses in Rafah.  Such brutal and inhuman action will lead to more bloodshed and more complications.”

The Israeli government contradicted itself. Dalia Rabin Filozof, the Israeli Deputy Minister of Defense said to the Israeli radio: “There were some differences in the stories told about the house demolition operation in Rafah.  The facts on the ground don’t reflect 100% the instructions given to the army.”  She added that she was present when the Minister of Defense gave his orders for the operation to take place, according to al-Quds newspaper on Tuesday, 15/1/2002.