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Israel orders halt to Palestinian house demolitions
2/19/2005
JERUSALEM, Feb 18 (AFP): Israel has ordered a halt to the demolition of the homes of Palestinian suicide bombers after an internal review found the policy, widely condemned by rights groups, had little deterrent effect and stoked hatred.
In other measures, Israel said it will allow 16 Palestinians deported to the Gaza Strip on security grounds to return home to the West Bank Friday and allow Palestinians to travel to Egypt via the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israel has taken a number of steps to ease conditions for the Palestinians since a ceasefire was agreed with new leader Mahmud Abbas at a landmark summit in Egypt 10 days ago aimed at putting a lid on more than four years of deadly violence.
The decision to halt house demolitions was taken by Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz after a report ordered by outgoing chief of staff General Moshe Yaalon found that the demolitions were counter-productive.
The policy has been repeatedly condemned by human rights groups, who claim it amounts to collective punishment and a war crime.
Three months ago, Israeli rights group B'Tselem published a report showing that for every house destroyed, 12 innocent people were made homeless. It said 628 housing units-home to 3,983 Palestinians-were destroyed because of the acts of 333 Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Mofaz and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with the newly appointed US security cooridinator for the Middle East, Lieutenant General William Ward, emphasising that progress in the peace process was dependent on the implementation of Palestinian security reforms.
Meanwhile, a report from Jerusalem says: In another sign of easing tensions following a cease-fire, Israel has halted destruction of homes of Palestinian suicide bombers and gunmen after the army concluded the practice has not deterred attackers but has inflamed hatred, the military said in a statement.
The decision, announced Thursday, mirrors comments made by human rights groups for years.
Since Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war, more than 2,400 homes have been destroyed as punishment or deterrence, including 675 in the past four years of fighting, according a statement issued by the Israeli human rights group B'tselem Thursday.
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