The daily battle in Palestine

Rafah and Tulkarem are the latest targets of Israeli large scale military actions

While the war in Iraq intensifies, the daily often deadly confrontations in the Palestinian territories continues. Wednesday and Thursday, Rafah and Tulkarem were the main targets of Israeli offensives. Six people were killed these two days, bringing the number of killed Palestinians to 12 since last Thursday, according to the statistics of Palestinian Center of Human Rights. One of them was a 14 year old

boy shot dead by Israeli soldiers firing from jeeps as he stood outside his home in Kalkilya.

Four killed in Rafah

Bordering Egypt , and as such a potential destination of arms smuggling, Rafah has been one of the spots targeted most severely by the Israeli army during the current intifada. Thursday morning, another four Palestinians from Rafah were killed. Israeli troops entered the camp backed by dozens of tanks, bulldozers, and helicopters. Three were killed by a helicopter missile strike, UNRWA Field office in Gaza says to Caritas Jerusalem. The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz adds, that they were all unarmed civilians. A fourth was shot during gun battle. The four were between 18 and 26 years old. Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza reports that several roads and electricity supplies were severely damaged during the nightly operation. The UNRWA Gaza Field Office confirms to Caritas Jerusalem media reports saying that four homes were demolished. An only too well known action for the population in the Egyptian border camp. Rafah was also the setting of the killing of the International Solidarity Movement activist American Rachel Corrie. On 16^th of March she was run over by an Israeli army bulldozer when she tried to block it to prevent it from demolishing a Palestinian house.

Since September 2000, the Israeli army has demolished more than 947 houses in the Gaza Strip according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Referring to the Israeli army's procedure, the Israeli NGO B'tselem states that "Demolition or sealing of a house is an extra-judicial administrative procedure, without requirement of proof by any judicial body that the individual committed a penal offence".

1000 Palestinians exiled from Tulkarem

The previous morning, another large scale Israeli military operation started in the Palestinian refugee camp Tulkarem. The camp was invaded by Israeli troops, accompanied by tanks and Apache helicopters. All roads leading to and from the camp were blocked with barbed wire. Demanded out by loudspeakers, the entire male population between 15 and 45 was then rounded up in the center of the camp - more than 1000 men left their homes. Ha'aretz reports that the soldiers then divided them into two groups, separating those aged 15-20 from those aged 20-40. The younger group was led into UNRWA school classrooms, and forced to tear pictures of killed Palestinians (referred to as shahid or martyrs) off the walls and step on them.

All men were questioned one by one according to various media and NGO sources. 11 were detained. The rest of the men were not allowed to return home for three days. The Israeli NGO Gush Shalom reports that many women from the camp, who brought food provisions for their husbands, brothers, sons, were also denied return to the camp – and thus ended up exiled from their homes too. The Israeli military has stated that the operation aims at capturing wanted terrorists in the camp.

Jerusalem Post reports today that the Israeli army will soon allow the camp residents back and that the wanted men has been arrested. Meanwhile, almost 1000 men, some with family members are still waiting outside the camp.

Israeli Left wing political leaders have criticized the action in strong terms. Meretz issued a statement Thursday saying that "Anyone who today expels 1,000 residents from Tul Karm, might tomorrow do the same in Tel Aviv". Gush Shalom has appealed to the army's judge advocate to discipline the officer responsible.  In a press release Thursday, the NGO calls the action not only a violation of international law, but also of the Israeli army's own Military Code and of its policy guidelines as regards treatment of civilian population.

This morning, The Israeli army turned its focus to Jenin. It imposed curfew and began conducting house searches here, the Israel Radio reported. 

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