arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

The affair started last Friday (Feb. 9), when four Israeli military jeeps arrived at the Mawasi - an enclave of Palestinian houses and farms, home to some 500 people, which is completely surrounded by Israeli settlements in
the south-western part of the Gaza Strip. The officer in charge informed the Palestinians that their homes would be demolished on the coming Sunday (Feb 11) and ordered them to vacate the houses by then; he justified the intended demolition by "security reasons" and by the claim that the houses were built on "state lands". The eviction order was delivered verbally, without any written authorization being presented.

Destruction of the Mawasi houses is a long-standing demand of the settlers towards the military authorities. The army's sudden willingness to do it might be connected with the elections victory, a few days earlier, of Ariel
Sharon, known as a patron of the settlement movement.

Following the officer's departure, the Mawasi inhabitants held a meeting and decided to defy the eviction order and remain in their homes. On the following day, the officer returned with his jeeps, told them their resistance was
futile and "advised" them to take their furniture and movables out of the houses before the arrival of the bulldozers. The inhabitants remained defiant.

That afternoon, Palestinian organizations in the nearby town of Khan Yuneis called upon the townspeople to arrive at the Mawasi and help its inhabitants defend their homes. The Palestinian Authority delivered notes to all diplomatic missions accredited to it, asking their governments to
intervene and warning that destruction of the Mawasi houses may lead to a massacre.

Meanwhile, the news got to Israel, especially thanks to the Alternative Information Center with its twin offices in Palestinian Bethlehem and Israeli West Jerusalem. Israeli peace groups and civil rights organizations were alerted, as were Knesset Members from Meretz, Hadash and the Arab parties. Immediately upon receiving the news, Gush Shalom sent out a press release and an action alert, to all its Israeli and international contacts.

Protest messages started flooding the government fax and email addrresses.

On Saturday night and Sunday morning, various journalists and human rights activists contacted the military authorities, both at the central headquarters and in the Gaza Strip. The army spokespersons denied any intention to destroy the Mawasi houses, and declared themselves "puzzled" as to the source of the "rumours". Meanwhile, on Sunday morning the Mawasi area was sealed by the army, and bulldozers arrived accompanied by a large military force; but the bulldozers were withdrawn after several hours of a tense stand-off with no demolitions carried out.

Today (Mon., 12.2) at 6.30 AM, the Arabic-language broadcast of the governmental "Voice of Israel" broadcast an official denial that there was or had ever been any intention to demolish the Mawasi houses, describing military operations in the area as "purely routine"; the Hebrew broadcasts of the same station altogether failed to mention the issue. Later this morning, Mawasi inhabitants reported a single jeep which came to inform them that the houses would not be demolished. There things stand at present.

It seems that cooperation and quick action by Palestinians, Israelis and internationals have succeeded, at least this once, in blocking the bulldozers.
We are very grateful to everybody who helped.

Further info:
Adam Keller (Gush Shalom) 972-(0)3-5565804 info@gush-shalom.org
Ahmed Jaradat (Altern. Information Ctr) 972-(0)2-2777559 aic@alt-info.org