News Compass

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

The Systematic Destruction of Palestinian Society By Israeli Forces During the 34-Month Intifada

Read HERE Full Report by the Palestinian National Information Center -August 12, 2003

Excerpt from the report:

The Al-Aqsa Intifada broke out in in September 2000.

(A) Palestinians Killed

Up to July 2003, 2,647 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) in the Palestinian territories.

The Palestinians killed included 1,157 ( 43.7 %) in Gaza Strip and 1,490 (56.3 %) in the West Bank.

Among those killed by Israeli soldiers were 482 children and 178 women.

Those killed in Israeli extrajudicial executions were 241.

Palestinian medical crew members killed were 25

Palestinian journalists killed were nine.

In 2002 alone, 762 Palestinians were killed in Gaza Strip and 488 others in the West Bank, making it the bloodiest year throughout the Al-Aqsa Intifada,

In the first months of the Intifada, 191 Palestinians in the West Bank and 126 others in the Gaza Strip were killed by the IOF.

(B) Palestinians Wounded

36,448 Palestinians have been wounded by the IOF over the past 34 months, including 25,058 in the West Bank and 11,390 in the Gaza Strip.

In 2003, 2,547 Palestinians were wounded in the West Bank alone.

In 2002, 7,927 Palestinians were wounded.

In 2000, 6,575 were wounded.

(C) Destruction of Palestinian Property and Environment

IOF, throughout March 2002 up to this moment, uprooted 964,446 trees,

IOF bulldozed 60,240 dunums of arable lands

Israel expropriated 95,000 dunums of Palestinian farm land.

The Israeli Occupying Force (IOF) , over the past three years, destroyed completely 2,022 houses, while those partially damaged were 36,776.

In Gaza Strip alone, 1,555 houses were completely destroyed as 12,824 others were partially damaged.

(D)Palestinians Detained

During the intifada period, IOF arrested 7,389 Palestinians up to the end of July 2003.

Read HERE Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA) on US Goverment's aid to Israel

Congressional researchers have disclosed that between 1974 and 1989, $16.4 billion in U.S. military loans were converted to grants and that this was the understanding from the beginning.

Total U.S. aid to Israel is approximately one-third of the American foreign- aid budget, even though Israel comprises just .001 percent of the world's population and already has one of the world's higher per capita incomes.

Most Americans are NOT aware how much of their tax revenue our government sends to Israel.

For the fiscal year ending in September 30, 1997, the U.S. has given Israel $6.72 billion :
$6.194 billion falls under Israel's foreign aid allotment and $526 million comes from agencies such as the Department of Commerce, the U.S. Information Agency and the Pentagon.

The $6.72 billion figure does NOT include loan guarantees and annual compound interest totalling $3.122 billion the U.S. pays on money borrowed to give to Israel. It does NOT include the cost to U.S. taxpayers of IRS tax exemptions that donors can claim when they donate money to Israeli charities.

(Donors claim approximately $1 billion in Federal tax deductions annually. This ultimately costs other U.S. tax payers $280 million to $390 million.)