HONOR RACHEL, END HOUSE DEMOLITIONS

The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, together with the entire Israeli peace and human rights movement and all partners in the Rebuilding Homes Campaign, mourns the death in Gaza of Rachel Corrie and extends its condolences to her family, friends and comrades in the International Solidarity Movement. Rachel was not the first person killed as a result of Israel's cruel policy of house demolitions. Less than two weeks ago Nuha Makadma Sweidan and her unborn child were also killed in Gaza when Israeli army sappers "accidentally" demolished their home when they blew up another home nearby. A few weeks before that an elderly woman and a disabled man died under the rubble of their Gazan homes when the soldiers "failed to notice" them. These were no mere accidents. Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian houses on top of all the families' possessions, and in their haste do not bother to follow prosaic rules of "safety."

The vast majority of demolitions, it must be understood, have nothing to do with terrorism. According to UN figures, less than 600 of the 10,000 houses demolished since the Occupation began in 1967 involved security suspects. All the rest 94% -- were simply houses of ordinary people that were in Israel's way. That was the case of the home of Dr. Samir Nasrallah, which Rachel died protecting..."