May 17, 2004
The Israeli supreme court has authorized the army to demolish homes in Rafah without further legal process and according to military sources and Israeli media, the army plans to raze a strip of 3.5 Km length and 500-800 meters wide. This means that about 1/3 to 1/2 of Rafah will be demolished, and about 117,000 people will be left homeless.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are trembling with fear of losing all they have under the bulldozers. If nothing is done to prevent the destruction, many of these Palestinians will be without a home for the third time in their life and not only their belongings, but also the hope for peace and for a better future for two peoples may be burried under the caterpillars.
We, “European Jews for a Just Peace” (*), strongly condemn this further war crime and urge the EU and the International Community put all possible pressure on the Israeli government in oder to immediately stop these actions, which are tantamount to collective punishment and a clear violation of international law.
17 May 2004
The EJJP Executive Committee
email: contact@ejjp.org
info: http://www.ejjp.org
* European Jews for a Just Peace is a network of 18 Jewish organisations in 9 European countries. EJJP believes that the only way out of the current impasse is through an agreement based on the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state and the guarantee of a safe and secure Israel and Palestine.