Israel dismantles settlement, flattens refugee camp houses

RAFAH REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip -- Israeli army bulldozers flattened 30 houses and a mosque in this refugee camp Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, accusing Israel of systematically razing homes to widen a military buffer zone.

The military said it only targeted buildings from which shots were fired overnight at Israeli forces, but did not know how many structures were demolished.

In the West Bank, Israeli security forces scuffled with dozens of settlers trying to dismantle an unauthorized settlement outpost, West Tapuah. There were no reports of injuries.

Under the U.S.-led "road map" peace plan, Israel has to remove dozens of settlement outposts, but has taken down only a few. The Palestinians have also failed to meet their first obligations, including a clampdown on militant groups.

Frantic residents of the Gaza Strip refugee camp threw mattresses and blankets from second-floor windows as beams and walls came crashing down around them. One woman, standing near a bulldozer, waved a white flag in a failed attempt to slow the demolition and buy time to salvage her belongings. A crying girl helped her mother carry a mattress.

Army officials initially insisted the razed houses had been empty, but then said the claim was still being checked.

The governor of Rafah, Majed Agha, said about 400 people were left homeless.

Israel has demolished hundreds of houses in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, in more than three years of fighting, saying the buildings gave cover to gunmen and weapons smugglers.

The Palestinians say Israel is clearing large swaths in the camp to distance built-up areas from the narrow strip Israeli troops patrol along the Egyptian border. Israel has erected a tall metal barrier south of the camp as a shield for troops.

The destruction is part of a plan by Israel "to create a wide buffer zone and consolidate Israeli military control in the area," Agha said.

Also razed Tuesday was a neighborhood mosque, Al Tawhid, which had been partially demolished Saturday, residents said. The mosque is about 70 yards from the Israeli metal barrier. "This is a crime against God's law and human law as well," said preacher Ibrahim Abu Jazar.

The military said it was still checking the report on the mosque. In the past three years, troops have generally stayed clear of holy sites.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, meanwhile, asked foreign diplomats to urge their governments to speak out against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank, ahead of a Feb. 23 hearing by the world court.

The Palestinians have asked the International Court of Justice to rule on the legality of the barrier, which has severely disrupted the daily lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians. The Palestinians say the barrier amounts to a land grab and will make it impossible to create a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

"We ask the entire world to restrain the Israeli madness of expansion," Qureia said after meeting with more than a dozen diplomats. "This is a wall of annexation and expansion, not for security."

Israel says it needs the divider to keep out Palestinian attackers who have killed hundreds of Israelis in bombings since September 2000.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered a review of the barrier, saying minor changes in the route and technical arrangements could be made to lessen the hardship it creates for Palestinians. Israel has been looking for ways to deflect growing international criticism of the barrier.

However, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Tuesday he opposes any revisions. "We have to do everything in our power so that the route of the fence approved by the government ... is implemented," he said.

Also Tuesday, Sharon adviser Raanan Gissin said the prime minister believes Jordan's leading role in the campaign against the West Bank barrier "is damaging and hurting our relations."

Sharon told parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that Jordan's support for the process at the world court "is definitely a departure from the (Israeli-Jordanian) relationship of near strategic cooperation."

Jordan, Israel's eastern neighbor, fears the barrier -- a 440-mile network of fences, walls and trenches -- will lead to large-scale immigration by Palestinians, who already make up a majority of the population in the kingdom.

Qureia, meanwhile, was evasive about reports he met twice last week with Israeli opposition leader Shimon Peres. One of the meetings was also attended by U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer, embassy officials said.

"Our meetings with the Israeli left have not ceased," Qureia said, adding that while communication with Sharon's office has not broken down entirely, "apparently Sharon and his aides are busy with something else."

It had been widely expected that Qureia and Sharon would meet soon after Qureia became prime minister in November. However, Qureia has said he won't agree to a meeting unless such talks produce progress.

Sharon revealed Monday, in his appearance before the parliamentary committee, that he had detailed information about the Peres-Qureia talks.

"After three minutes of hearing these details, I said to myself 'How does he know this? Does he have wires in place?"' opposition legislator Yossi Sarid told The Associated Press.

Sharon's aides denied either Peres or Qureia were under surveillance, saying the prime minister had been briefed by a Peres confidant.