Letter of September 1st 2001 from Jacques Gaillot
The destruction of Palestinian homes
 
 

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The destruction of Palestinian homes.
 
Unfortunately it is not new! The practice is old. Families' expulsions are already a scandal, but to put down houses it is really a shame. Shame on a country that is pursuing such practices!

Destroying homes it is destroying families. These families built these houses with their hands. They had to borrow money to build them. They put their pride and hope in them to live in peace.  destruction 

When a country destroys homes, it is destroying itself because it puts its strength on unjustness.

occupied Territories  When a country destroys homes, it clearly indicates that it does not want peace. It is behaving like an opponent to the right of the others. It wants to be sure that everybody understands that the Palestinians are living in occupied Territories: they are under occupation. The Palestinians know it since 1948!
 
In occupied Territories, the occupant is the master. He decides what he wants. He obstructs the free circulation of the Palestinians, preventing them to work and mocking their rights. The most shameful is the destruction of their homes. As the Latin Patriarch said so rightly to Israeli Authority: " If you want to destroy something, destroy churches but not houses"

With the French delegation we have been invited in a Palestinian camp near Jerusalem. Twelve families were notified that their house will be destroyed. Till sunset these families expressed to us their despair: "If our house is destroyed, we lose every thing".

Reducing the violence will not help. We have to go at the root of the violence. The Palestinians are under occupation by the Israeli. They are humiliated every day. They are considered like second rank citizens, their rights are denied.

In the past, when I was going to Palestine, I was sharing their hope, today I am sharing their powerless.