August 21 05 Israeli bulldozers destroy settler homes in Gaza
Israeli bulldozers destroy settler homes in Gaza
By Harvey Morris in Pe'at Sadeh, Gaza
Published: August 21 2005 12:20 | Last updated: August 21 2005 16:19
Bulldozers and mechanical diggers destroyed settler homes in parts of the Gaza Strip on Sunday before the handover of evacuated Jewish settlements to the Palestinian Authority.
The first of 61 houses in the settlement of Pe'at Sadeh, a two-storey villa overlooking the Mediterranean, was flattened in little over 20 minutes.
The decision to destroy some 2,000 settler homes in the territory was taken unilaterally by Israel, but in co-ordination with the PA. Under a deal yet to be signed formally, Israel agreed to remove all asbestos from the buildings and to pay civilian contractors to sort the rubble. More than three-quarters of the material will be recycled for use in Gaza as building aggregate.
The remaining waste will be shipped out, mostly likely to Egypt, where it will be disposed of in the Sinai. Sunday's operation was conducted by civilian contractors using civilian heavy equipment. An army spokesman said because of the sensitivities surrounding the demolition, bulldozers rather than explosives would be used.
Shmuel Siboni, head of the infrastructure brigade contracted to the Defence Ministry in the settlements, said: “This is not a happy job. In our unit, we're more used to building military bases than to knocking buildings down.”
Military bulldozers have in the past been frequently used to destroy Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip in a policy which has been widely criticised by foreign governments and human rights groups.
The contractors removed a large Israeli flag from outside the first house to be destroyed as a mechanical digger moved in to smash through its red-tiled roof.
The demolitions got under way as the last of the 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank were scheduled for evacuation in the coming days.
Infrastructure such as water and electricity lines will remain in place as will the road system in the settlements. The PA has been discussing building high-rise apartment blocks in some of the evacuated areas, which cover around 20 per cent of the Gaza Strip, to house Palestinians, particularly those made homeless by Israeli military operations. Elsewhere in Gaza, Israeli contractors uprooted olive and palm trees to truck them to Israel for replanting
By Harvey Morris in Pe'at Sadeh, Gaza
Published: August 21 2005 12:20 | Last updated: August 21 2005 16:19
Bulldozers and mechanical diggers destroyed settler homes in parts of the Gaza Strip on Sunday before the handover of evacuated Jewish settlements to the Palestinian Authority.
The first of 61 houses in the settlement of Pe'at Sadeh, a two-storey villa overlooking the Mediterranean, was flattened in little over 20 minutes.
The decision to destroy some 2,000 settler homes in the territory was taken unilaterally by Israel, but in co-ordination with the PA. Under a deal yet to be signed formally, Israel agreed to remove all asbestos from the buildings and to pay civilian contractors to sort the rubble. More than three-quarters of the material will be recycled for use in Gaza as building aggregate.
The remaining waste will be shipped out, mostly likely to Egypt, where it will be disposed of in the Sinai. Sunday's operation was conducted by civilian contractors using civilian heavy equipment. An army spokesman said because of the sensitivities surrounding the demolition, bulldozers rather than explosives would be used.
Shmuel Siboni, head of the infrastructure brigade contracted to the Defence Ministry in the settlements, said: “This is not a happy job. In our unit, we're more used to building military bases than to knocking buildings down.”
Military bulldozers have in the past been frequently used to destroy Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip in a policy which has been widely criticised by foreign governments and human rights groups.
The contractors removed a large Israeli flag from outside the first house to be destroyed as a mechanical digger moved in to smash through its red-tiled roof.
The demolitions got under way as the last of the 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank were scheduled for evacuation in the coming days.
Infrastructure such as water and electricity lines will remain in place as will the road system in the settlements. The PA has been discussing building high-rise apartment blocks in some of the evacuated areas, which cover around 20 per cent of the Gaza Strip, to house Palestinians, particularly those made homeless by Israeli military operations. Elsewhere in Gaza, Israeli contractors uprooted olive and palm trees to truck them to Israel for replanting
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