Official Compares Israeli Action to Nazis'

Middle East - AP

Official Compares Israeli Action to Nazis'

Date: Sun, May 23, 2004

JERUSALEM - An Israeli Cabinet minister on Sunday said the army's demolition of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) reminded him of actions the Nazis took against his family during World War II and called for a halt to the policy of destroying homes.

The remarks by Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, a Holocaust survivor, sparked an uproar at the weekly Cabinet meeting, officials at the meeting said.

The ministers were discussing Israel's demolition of homes in the Rafah refugee camp. Dozens of homes have been destroyed or damaged during an ongoing offensive along the Gaza-Egypt border.

Lapid was quoted by officials at the meeting as saying a picture of an old Palestinian woman on the rubble of her home reminded him "of my grandmother in the Holocaust."

The statement outraged hard-line Likud Party ministers, who demanded he recant.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) said such comments add "oil to the fire of incitement."

Lapid said he was not comparing Israel to the Nazis but there "is no forgiveness for people who treat an old woman in this way."

SOURCE

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.