FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 14, 2003
5:40 AM
CONTACT: Amnesty International
Newsroom: 212-807-8400



Israel/Occupied Territories: Wanton Destruction Constitutes a War
Crime

NEW YORK - October 14 - Amnesty International condemns in the
strongest terms the large-scale destruction by the Israeli army of
Palestinian homes in a refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip town
of Rafah, which made homeless hundreds of people, including many
children and elderly people.
"The repeated practice by the Israeli army of deliberate and wanton
destruction of homes and civilian property is a grave violation of
international human rights and humanitarian law, notably of Articles
33 and 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and constitutes a war
crime," said Amnesty International.

This last wave of destruction between 10 and 12 October is part of a
policy which the Israeli army has been carrying out in the Occupied
Territories for decades and increasingly so in recent years. In the
past three years the Israeli army has destroyed some 4,000
Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as vast
areas of cultivated land, hundreds of factories and other commercial
properties, roads and public buildings.

The Israeli authorities have frequently contended that the
destruction of Palestinian homes and other properties was necessary
for the success of their military/security operations, and that
therefore it was permitted by international humanitarian law.
However, investigations by Amnesty International and other
organizations, including Israeli NGOs, have shown a recurring pattern
of destruction of homes and property as a collective punishment, to
punish local residents for attacks by Palestinian armed groups.

On this occasion Israeli officials justified the destruction of more
than 100 Palestinian homes as due to the presence in the area of
three tunnels reportedly used by Palestinian armed groups to smuggle
weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. No weapons were reported to
have been found. Israeli officials have not explained why the threat
posed by the tunnels could not have been tackled by proportionate
means that did not recklessly endanger the lives of civilians and did
not render hundreds of Palestinians homeless. The army also claimed
that armed Palestinians used the now-destroyed homes to fire on
Israeli soldiers. However, they have not claimed that the inhabitants
of these homes were themselves involved in any shooting or armed
resistance.

The Israeli army says it has uncovered 70 smuggling tunnels in Rafah
in the past three years and in the same period it has destroyed more
than 1,000 homes in the area.

"In most cases examined by Amnesty International, the extensive
destruction of Palestinian homes and properties repeatedly carried
out by the Israeli army was not justifiable on grounds of absolute
military necessity," said Amnesty International. "Such wanton
destruction is unlawful and constitutes a war crime."

Amnesty International calls on the Israeli authorities to put an
immediate end to the practice of destroying Palestinian homes and
other properties, and of using excessive, disproportionate and
reckless force against unarmed Palestinians and in densely populated
residential areas, which frequently result in the killing and
injuring of unarmed civilians, including children.

The organization has repeatedly condemned the deliberate killings of
Israeli civilians by Palestinian armed groups as a crime against
humanity and reiterates its calls on these groups to immediately halt
such practices.

Background:

Much of the destruction of homes and agricultural land in recent
years has been in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated
areas in the world, where more than two thirds of the population now
live under the poverty line (of US $ 2 per day).

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the
body which cares for Palestinian refugees, 76 homes were completely
destroyed, 44 were partially destroyed and 117 damaged, and the
number of refugees left homeless by this latest wave of home
demolitions may be over 1,000.

On this occasion, as in many previous operations by the Israeli army
involving the destruction of homes, at least six Palestinians,
including two children were killed and scores of others, many of them
children, were injured during the period of 10 to 12 October.

Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of
Civilian Persons in Time of War clearly states that "collective
penalties are prohibited... Reprisal against protected persons and
their properties are prohibited." Article 53 of the same Convention
states that "any destruction by the Occupying Power... is prohibited,
except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by
military operations."

Amnesty International condemns the deliberate killings of Israeli
civilians by Palestinian armed groups as a crime against humanity.

Address details:
Israeli Officials:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Office of the Prime Minister 3 Kaplan Street,
P O Box 187 Jerusalem 91919, Israel
Fax: +972 2 6705475; +972 2 5664838; Tel: 972 2 6705511
E-mail: pm_eng-AT-pmo.gov.il;
webmaster-AT-pmo.gov.il

Foreign Minister Silwan Shalom sar-AT-mofa.gov.il
Mayor Uri Luplianski
Kikar Safra 1, Jerusalem, Israel;
Phone: 972-2-629-7717; Fax: 972--629-6014;
mayor-AT-jerusalem.muni.il
brsigal-AT-jerusalem.muni.il

Interior Minister Avrahm Poraz
Ministry of the Interior; Kiryat Ben Gurion, Kaplan 2, Jerusalem, Israel;
aporaz-AT-knesset.gov.il; sar-AT-moin.gov.il;
Fax: 972-2-566-6376 Tel:972-2-670-1402

Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Natan Sharansky Tel.
972-2-6799774, Fax: 972-2-6799775

Justice Minister Yosef (Tommy) Lapid Tel. 972-2-6466527, Fax. 972 2
6285438, sar-AT-justice.gov.il



American officials: > President George W. Bush COMMENTS:
202-456-1111 FAX: 202-456-2461 Email: president-AT-whitehouse.gov

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell: phone: (202) 647-7098 email
secretary-AT-state.gov


* * * * * * *
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan : ecu-AT-un.org or: coi-AT-un.org
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights webadmin.hchr-AT-unog.ch or Fax: +(41-22) 917-9016

* * * * * * *
Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission: romano.prodi-AT-cec.eu.int
Council of the European Union: public.info-AT-consilium.eu.int

* * * * * *

Rabbis For Human Rights
Tel. 972 2 563-7731 Fax. 972 2 566-2815 Mobile 972 50607034
info-AT-rhr.israel.net Website: www.rhr.israel.net

For other e-mail addresses see internet sites:

US Congress:
www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/directory/directory.db
q?command=congdir US Senate

www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Contact information for European Governments
europa.eu.int/abc/governments/index_en.html

Permanent Missions to the United Nations
www.un.int/missions/webs.html

Many of e-mail addresses of UN missions are formatted as follows:
france-AT-un.int, germany-AT-un.int, india-AT-un.int
ireland-AT-un.int. italy-AT-un.int, uk-AT-un.int, etc.

Embassies in different countries: www.mfa.gov.il/

Committe of struggle against barbarism & arbitrary,
777 bd des nations unies,
13300 SALON, france
www.ifrance.com/CLBA-laconscience
maito : laconscience-AT-wanadoo.fr