Plunder
in Ramallah:
Hello:
evidence is mounting that the Israeli Army is stealing people's
belongings as they search homes. Even the very precious stores of
foods that remain in Ramallah are being plundered. We have been
hearing about this since the beginning of this occupation on Friday
the 29th of March, 2002. It took some time for the picture to develop
clearly. Here is what they do: they enter to search a home, place all
family members in one room, search and leave. When they leave, family
members come out of their room and realize that their belongings are
missing.
Examples:
1.Stealing
Money, Equipment and other Items, and eating peoples food. Saturday
March 30, 10 a.m. right behind the Muqata'a in al-Bireh: They broke
everything when they came in, and stole as well? we are merchants and
have money at home always, they stole all the money we have, lots of
money, at least 25,000 USD, and also batteries, 3 mobiles and
expensive watches. It is crazy, but they also stole our prayer rugs
and Our an!
At
around 11 am the same day:
"They
came in, placed us all in one room, searched the house, and when we
came out we realized that the following was missing: 3000 USD, NIS
1800, pens, a watch, a video camera battery, brand new in its box...
they left the box, and took also my 050 (Israeli) mobile phone".
At
around 12 of the same day:
"When
they left I went to see if they took anything, as we have been hearing
about this... they stole my two diamond rings, my gold, my money, 1000
USD and 1000 Jordanian dinars, three watches and a video camera and
two ordinary cameras, they even stole the precious 800 USD that the
Sri Lankan maid has saved to get back home"
At
around 1 pm in the same area:
"They
searched and stole my money, 23,000 IS that I kept for emergencies...
I realized this quickly and came out running after them and told the
commander. he told me he will get back to me.. instead, they ran over
my BMW car, parked right outside the house, and then burned it. It
seems that this was done because I complained."
And
in an apartment near the Ramallah Municipality:
April
1st around 4 pm. "After the search, I discovered that NIS 800 and
60 Jordanian Dinars I had kept in a drawer were missing. They had
broken the drawer which was locked, to get to the money. At the
neighbors, they stole a camera, and ate their cake" And I have
more documentation like this, with exact times, dates and places, and
what was stolen, but names of people have been withheld for obvious
reasons.
2.
Stealing of Ramallah's remaining and by now precious food supplies:
Report
of stolen food items from the biggest food supermarket in Ramallah,
situated close to Masioun, between Masioun and Imm al-Sharayet...
This
was on April 1st Monday at midday:
"I
live close to Max Supermarket. I saw all that happened. The tank came
and broke the front door, then they closed the other door, went in,
and broke another door. Then they exploded the safe, obviously to
steal the money inside, this is the proof that they were after money.
Computers and offices all went in the process. Also the special store
for special foods was destroyed. The safe did not open though, a small
hole only. We heard everything. Our neighbors said that they had two
APC's full of soldiers with them, and they began to load in food items.
they took them away and came back and filled up again with food and
left. Later, we went and saw how it was, the destruction and the loss
of food items. Two APC's were loaded with food." When we raise
this issue, apparently the Israeli army claims that these are
exceptional and isolated cases of individual actions and not army
policy.
The
story on the ground however reveals that these actions are quite
systematic, and have occurred elsewhere and everywhere, as in Balata
camp for instance around a month ago, and can only lead to the
following possible interpretations:
1.
That the army has given the go-ahead to soldiers to steal and pilfer;
2.
That the army has not, but is turning a blind eye, perhaps as
compensation for soldiers doing a "dirty and dangerous job;
3.
That the army higher echelons have not given these orders but that
they have lost control, a most dangerous realization and contrary to
Israeli army claims of discipline and strict control of the so-called
Israeli Defense Force (IDF).
Saeda
Baba
04/04/02
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