7)
Demolition of Houses and
Confidence Building
The
policy of house
demolition has given a
fatal blow to the peace
process that should have
been built on the
foundation of trust
between the two peoples.
The Palestinians
lost their confidence in
the possibility of
co-existence and living
side by side with the
Israelis in true peace.
This came after
the collective
punishment of the
Palestinian people on
the hands of the Israeli
governments.
Dr.
Haidar Abdel-Shafi had a
different view on the
matter: “Israel
continues its violation
of the basis of the
peace process, that is
the UN resolution # 242.
Israel has been
ignoring the foundations
of the peace process for
more than 10 years.
The attack on the
houses in Rafah is just
another example of the
long series of
aggressive measures
taken by the Israeli
government against the
Palestinian people.”
Rajab
al-Najjar, a Palestinian
(44 years old) whose
house was demolished on
10/1/2002 said: “How
can they –the
Israelis- make peace
with someone who they
demolished his home?
How can they make
peace with someone whom
they have killed his
son? I hold the Israeli government and its Prime Minister
responsible for the
crimes they carried out.
The Palestinian
people resist the
occupation because they
want to live in dignity,
but the Israelis don’t
want us to live freely
like the other
nations.”
Gideon Levi the Israeli journalist wrote an article
that was published in al-Quds
newspaper on 14/1/2002,
in which he said: “Can
we the Israelis imagine
how those people whose
houses were demolished
at night feel towards
us?
We destroy
people’s homes, and
destroy their hopes and
ambitions in front of
their children.
Did those who
took the decision to
carry such an attack
think of the hatred we
plant in the hearts of
those children?”
