PA Called “Women, Children and Elderly”

Introduction
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has been calling since Monday for “women, children and elderly” to stand in front of Israeli bulldozers and tanks in Rafah even though the PA knew Rafah was the site of armed battles between the Israeli army and Palestinian terrorists.

Israel has apologized over the past two days for injuring and killing civilians during Wednesday’s fighting. The civilians were hurt during the Israeli army operation to search for terrorists and missiles that the PA has smuggled from Egypt.

As PMW has reported in the past, the PA consistently urges civilians to put themselves on the front lines in these military situations. In this case, the PA-controlled daily newspaper called specifically for “women, children and elderly” to enter the fray. The PA intentionally placed civilians on the battlefield, and is ultimately responsible for their fate.

The following is from an article in Monday’s PA daily, in which the PA called for “women, children and elderly” to make an “impassable barrier” in Rafah. The call was answered, and thousands of civilians marched into the heart of the battle, thus setting the stage for the accident.

Palestinian Media Watch

children and the elderly to stand up to Bull Conner. Gandhi asked them to lie in front of British trains and stand down armed military units. I guess you don't admire civil disobdience afterall. I guess when those forces attack those who are passively resisting it is the fault of the passive resisters.

There are many ways to protest, but to stand in front of a military operation is stupidity and calls to the gross negligence of the PA officials who called on the children to do so. If an adult wants to put his or her life in danger, that is a persnal choice. It is obvious that they were more interested in creating an uproar against Israel, and sacrificing their children in doing so. It is a great pity, and you should begin to recognize that.

The idf gives them no notice either when they bulldoze houses, thus insuring that they ruin everything the family owns.

"The idf gives them no notice either" cannot be verified, because it is false.

Then, at 8:30 A.M. yesterday, they relate, a huge bulldozer rumbled over neighbors' houses; neighborhood residents fled for their lives. Some ran in their bare feet. Others left behind identification documents, driver's licenses (Mansur is a taxi driver), money, clothes, books. The bulldozer crushed Mansur's cab; it also plowed up a small "zoo" that a neighborhood resident set up two years ago to amuse local kids.

Fortified Israel Defense Forces vehicles, supported by helicopters, set up shop in the Brazil neighborhood at 10 P.M. on Wednesday. Mansur's parents, together with 13 other people, live in a house with an asbestos roof. Mansur's own house, which holds 17 residents, is built of concrete and asbestos. Mansur feared for his loved ones' lives: A bullet could penetrate through the houses' flimsy walls and kill someone. And, fearing for their lives, "women and men and children" from both homes huddled in two rooms in Mansur's house Wednesday night, hoping that the IDF's Operation Rainbow would go somewhere else soon.

Wednesday night, nobody went to sleep in Rafah. Helicopters hovered close to rooftops; missiles whistled through the air; gunfire could be heard everywhere. Like everyone else in Rafah, the 31 members of Mansur's family waited in the two rooms, hoping that things would calm down in the morning.

At 7:30 A.M., when the women prepared breakfast, family members had hopes that it would be a normal day. But an hour later, all hell broke loose. Mansur recalls that he heard neighbors crying in fear and anguish. He says that he raced out to help them, only to find, to his amazement, that the bulldozer was already set to plow away his own home, and that of his grandparents. Mansur says: "I begged him to stop, to let us get out of the house. He blocked the entrance. Sitting behind glass, the driver never heard us ... We were just a second away from being killed - 50 persons, children, the elderly, women, all of us with our backs to the wall, with the bulldozer plowing toward us. The driver never heard us. The destruction happened quickly, faster than anything that could be said to stop it."

http://www.countercurrents.org/pa-hass210504.htm

I don't see any verification that they weren't notified.

Also, this source is questionable.

The majority of the homes that were demolished and damaged on grounds of "military/security-related needs" were located in the Gaza Strip and a large percentage were in refugee camps. These demolitions have targeted the poorest and most vulnerable sector of the Palestinian population in the Occupied Territories. The destruction of homes is mostly carried out at night, with no prior notification. Usually, the only warning for the inhabitants is the rumbling of armored bulldozers and tanks approaching and beginning the destruction. Their arrival is often accompanied by Israeli army gunfire in an effort to make the residents vacate their homes and discourage resistance. The occupants of the targeted houses are almost without exception given no opportunity to salvage their possessions. In some cases people have been injured and even killed by collapsing structures or while fleeing; others were beaten, ill-treated or fired upon as they tried to protest or resist the demolition.

The source for the original story was Haaretz. I guess you find them questionable.

While the news service is credible, some of the articles are editorial and therefore, at least in part, based on subjective views.

As for AI, I question also that they always get the correct information. No one is always right. It is an unjustified charge that is being made repeatedly to discredit those who are pro-Israel.

If you feel discredited by them, it is not my problem.

The Bush regime follows that line as well when it's coming to the AI Annual Report ;)


As AI investigates things like this and is impartial when it comes to politics, I tend to think they have a lot more credibility in these matters than people with a vested interest in trying to portray one side or the other as being innocent of any wrongdoing. Which is why yr claim of the IDF gave no warning prior to destroying homes being false isn't what can be seen as credible or something to be taken seriously. Just saying something isn't true isn't good enough. If you dispute it, then offer up some credible evidence to support yr claim. As far as I'm concerned even if the IDF had given a reasonable amount of notice of its intentions to destroy those homes, that wouldn't alter the fact that demolishing homes is a crime unless it's been done for security purposes...

Violet...

We're discussing the current Gaza operation. The AI reposrt is general, and refering to 2003. Please stick to the topic.

AI has not issued a report on the developments in Gaza this month.

Further evidence:

On Tuesday, UNRWA said that the IDF destroyed 45 buildings during its six-day operation in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip - making 575 people homeless.

Human rights groups initially estimated that the army had demolished 180 buildings in the Rafah camp, a militant stronghold.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/431892.html

Seeing we're talking about Gaza, May 2004...

"UNRWA, which provides aid to Palestinian refugees in the territories, also said that the IDF had destroyed a total of 155 buildings in Rafah over the past month, leaving 1,960 people homeless. It described the period as one of the most destructive in Rafah since a Palestinian uprising began in September 2000."

Violet...

but thank you for posting it anyway.

It is significantly lower than what was originally reported. The IDF, by the way reported some 53 building destroyed, whereas UNRWA reports 45.

putting children in front of a military operation.

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. I guess those protesters in the south that were set upon by firehoses and police dogs only have themselves to blame.

The military operation was in progress, prior to the demonstration. It was entirely unintentional that the protesters were harmed.

Your argument is with the IDF (get ready for story number 16...or is it 17...)

Israel says it fired on Rafah demo to protect special forces

JERUSALEM (AFP) May 21, 2004
The Israeli army said Friday it fired earlier this week on Palestinian protesters in Rafah -- shots that claimed 10 lives -- to protect a secret special unit from being cut off from the main contingent.

<a pass the salt do those words taste good snip>

On Wednesday, the Israeli army said one missile was fired in an open area as a warning to the Rafah protesters to stop their march.

Four tank shells and automatic weapons fire then ensued as the initial missile fired "did not deter the crowd", according to an army statement.

more...mmmm, words...yummy

Don't bother answering as it's rude to talk with your mouth full. If you do answer, do make it germaine...

Opening fire on civilians is totally justifiable as aiming at them and opening fire was just an 'accident' and 'unintentional'. In fact with enough squirming, the entire fault for the 'accident' can be laid fairly and squarely on the victims, who should not be stupid enough to think that their lives are of enough value to stop them being killed if their non-violent protests get in the way of the great and glorious Operation Rainbow. What are they doing in a war zone anyway?? Don't you know they were just trying to make the IDF look bad because they knew that non-violent protest is a great provocation and the predictable outcome would be firing on a crowd of civilians? Geez, the IDF said sorry, just like it does after the 'accidents' it cops up to being responsible for. Isn't that enough? Haven't they said sorry so many times now that next time innocent civilians are targetted and killed by the IDF there's really no need for them to say sorry, because we all know how sorry they are about 'accidents' like this. btw, are you just trying to make Israel look bad by carrying on about a trivial little episode like this? Don't you know there's much more important issues at stake, like The Madonna Affair?? ;)

Violet...

He said what happened to the protesters was not intentional. If only they hadn't protested the immoral segregation laws he wouldn't have done that.

"thus setting the stage for the accident."

keep this stuff coming Gimel.. its as hilarious as * speech today..i could use the laughs..

We were only trying to help ...

The attacks on citizens who kill children and ordinary people generate hate. Don't blame the victims. - Gimel

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x69712#70092

Palestinians can not fight back as the military capabilities aer so huge that it leaves the only real option being attacking civilians - which they are condemned for and people wail that "they" should be more like Gandhi and others who utilised non violent means - when they DO utilise forms of non violent resistance they are blamed for their own deaths when the Israeli army responds to NON VIOLENT RESISTANCE with deadly force.