On Rafah Alert
By Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations “ PNGO “ May 18, 2004
The city of Rafah and Rafah’s refugee camp in the Gaza Strip are being
ravaged by Israeli occupation forces, creating a massive catastrophe in this
already devastated Palestinian refugee camp. We cannot contain our shock and
anger at the impotence of the international community in curbing Israeli war
crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT).
According to human rights organizations, within less than two weeks, since May
1, Israeli Occupation forces have destroyed hundreds of homes in Rafah’s refugee
camp, leaving thousands of Palestinians homeless. This wave of inhumane
destruction continues with acts no less criminal in nature than those committed
by Milosevic in Kosovo.
Since Monday May, 10 2004, at least 60 Palestinians have been killed during
Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip and more than 300 Palestinian
civilians injured. It is indeed extremely dismaying that at a time when people
around the world are expressing their desire for peace and their condemnation of
military aggression and oppression, Israel continues to pave the way to the
future with machines of war, consolidating injustice and domination of a whole
nation, and crushing their legitimate rights.
PNGO calls upon the United Nations and the international community as a whole to
bear their responsibility and confront the aggression Israel has been
perpetrating with impunity for the last half a century, and which is continuing
with Israel’s construction of the Apartheid Wall and settlements, further
dispossessing the Palestinian people of their lands, water resources and
threatening their very livelihood.
It is high time for Israel to abide by international law and conventions, to end
its occupation of Palestinian lands and to restore Palestinians’ inalienable
rights. It is high time for Palestinian people to breathe the fresh air of
freedom and for Palestinian children to dream of peace and joy.
We call upon the international community, particularly signatories of the Fourth
Geneva Convention, and the High Contracting Parties to ensure an immediate halt
to these escalating violations of the Convention which are being perpetrated by
the Israeli occupying forces in the OPTs. Specifically, we call for the
immediate dispatch of international protection for the Palestinian civilian
population.
“With these disproportionate military operations, Israel is in grave breach of international humanitarian law. This collective punishment can do nothing to calm the situation in Gaza or enhance Israel’s own security”.
(Statement made by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Peter Hansen: Press Release No. HQ/G/11/2004 16 May, 2004)
The Palestinian NGO Network