Sitting on the ruins of her house, this old Palestinian lady has no one but God to resort to

By Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent

PARIS , May 21 (IslamOnline.net) – The Israeli offensive on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah is a "dirty war" launched by occupation forces against the Palestinians, according to a French daily.

The Israeli warplanes opened missile fire and killed 23 protesters in the city showing the "brutality of the massive Israeli war has no limits", according to Le Monde Thursday, May 20.

The Israeli warplanes opened fire on the peaceful demonstration Wednesday, May 19, killing at least 22 people protesting against the devastating raid on Rafah, which also left massive scenes of destruction.

The French daily refuted Israeli claims that occupation forces would "crack down on terrorism and prove to settlers and hard-line Jews that Palestinians did not win the war" is a wrong presumption.

"Because what happens in Rafah will push Palestinians towards more extremism and promote the legitimacy of resistance," to a long-standing occupation, Le Monde said.

The Israeli offensive have triggered an international outcry, with the Palestinian leadership has accused the Israelis of conducting a "war of extermination" in the city and Amnesty International dismissed the demolitions as "war crimes".

Not Enough

Le Monde said the reaction was not strong enough to deter Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from maintaining the "violent trend he has adopted" since taking power in 2001.

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution late Wednesday, May 19, condemning Israel for killing Palestinian civilians and demolishing houses in Rafah.

The United States , which had in the past killed several such resolutions, abstained this time instead of wielding its veto power.

Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, whose country holds the rotating E.U. presidency, condemned Israel 's raid as "reckless disregard for human life."

But the paper said the action against the Israeli aggressions should be more tough, and with no more support from Washington .

The paper noted that as Israeli bulldozers were razing Palestinian houses, leaving many people homeless, U.S. President George W. Bush told a Jewish gathering Tuesday, May 18, that Israel is "a friend, and has every right to defend itself from terror".

This came a few weeks after the American President said Israel should keep lands occupied in the West Bank and undergo the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland – much to the chagrin of the United Nations whose resolutions call for the opposite.

Furthermore, Bush had argued that the world owes Sharon a "thank you", adding the date for the creation of a Palestinian state is "unrealistic".

Bearing Grudge

"When will we see an end to these acts of collective punishment in Rafah? Nobody is apparently able to halt this frenzy of killings which fuels anti-Israel sentiments," Le Monde wondered.

The paper said even if the Israeli forces pulled out of Rafah, they would leave behind a deep feeling of grudge among the local residents feeling the brunt of the offensive.

"The raid also spelt the death of the roadmap," the French daily said, referring to the master plan envisaging the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005 after a number of reciprocal confidence-building measures.

The Israeli army has denied any systematic destruction of buildings in Rafah, saying it targeted structures fighters allegedly used for cover or which concealed entrances to tunnels.

But local inhabitants said their relatives were killed and houses destroyed unjustifiably during the massive.

Israeli military sources dismissed Friday, May 21, reports that its troops were withdrawing from the devastated Rafah, saying the three-day "Operation Rainbow" will continue.

The sources said the raid will continue and the troops were merely "redeploying", according to Israeli daily Ha'aretz.

The Rafah fatalities bring the overall toll since the September 2000 start of the Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation to 4,062, including 3,084 Palestinians and 918 Israelis.