Date: 22 August 2005

No Tears Shed for Netzarim

 Today the Israeli military plan to evacuate the Netzarim settlement in the central Gaza Strip.  Despite the continuing fears regarding the long term effects which this Israeli redeployment will have, on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, today Palestinian civilians will shed no tears as this symbol of human rights violations is dismantled.

The Netzarim settlement stands in the heart of the central Gaza Strip and stretches from the green line to the sea at Gaza.  It houses about 60 homes for illegal Israeli settlers but stands as one of the key symbols of the human rights violations endured by Palestinian civilians over the course of this belligerent Israeli occupation.

In 1972 Israel first established the 2 military posts which were to become the settlements of the Netzarm area.  The settlers in Netzarim are considered a “religious” Jewish community.   Since the start of the al Aqsa Intifada the occupation forces killed 114 Palestinians at Netzarim, of this number 17 were children under the age of 16 and 8 were children between the ages of 16-18.  During the same time period the Israeli military completely demolished 105 homes around Netzarim and partially demolished 35. 

The Netzarim settlement became a flashpoint at the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada against the occupation.  The Shuhada Junction, which leads east from the sea to the main road north-south of the Gaza Strip, Salah al Din road became a focal point for many of the clashes between the resistance and the Israeli military.   The Netzarim settlement then cut off Salah al Din road slicing Gaza’s main artery and allowing for rigid control of civilian movement inside the Gaza Strip.

The Shuhada junction was the first place to be attacked by Helicopter Gunships during the Intifada.  It was also the scene of the most renowned case of child killing - that of Mohammad al Durah.  Twelve year old al Durah was the first child to be killed during this Intifada.   On the 30^th of September 2000 Mohammad was shot by an Israeli soldier while taking protective cover with his father near Netzarim junction during clashes between the Israeli military and the Palestinian resistance.  An ambulance driver who attended the scene was also shot dead by the Israeli military.  The boy’s death was captured by on camera and displayed, via the media, throughout the world. 

Throughout the al Aqsa Intifada  Netzarim was used to facilitate the military’s desire to cut the Gaza Strip into three parts.  While the eastern part of the settlement truncated the main north-south road in Gaza the western part of the settlement allowed for closures of Gaza’s sea road.  Closing the road at Netzarim stopped thousands of Palestinians civilians from travelling from the northern Gaza Strip to the middle or southern areas and vice versa.  On other occasions scenes of Palestinian civilians trudging along the beach were commonplace as the Israeli military closed the checkpoint but allowed civilians to make the hazardous journey on foot. 

Netzarim is considered by Palestinian civilians to epitomise the human rights violations which Israel continues to inflict as a result of the ongoing occupation.   It represents land and home demolition, wilful killings and injuries. 

The dismantling of Netzarim comes as part of a wider plan to cement control of the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem while sealing off the Gaza Strip to the outside world.  This fact is illustrated by the planned removal of the Netzarim settlers to settlements in the West Bank, including Ariel settlement.

Despite all of this the removal of this settlement, and its associated occupying forces, will be a relief to all Palestinian civilians of the Gaza Strip.

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Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip tel/fax: +972 (0)8 282 4776 – 282 5893

email: pchr@pchrgaza.org      website: www.pchrgaza.org