Razing the Past: Soldiers and Civilians Are Not the Only Casualties of War. Aggressors Also Target the Physical Monuments to an Enemy's Existence and So Attack Their Libraries, Churches and Schools. Robert Bevan Reports on the Destruction of Memory

Bevan, Robert, New Statesman (1996)

Two weeks ago in Anata, Jerusalem, a Palestinian stood contemplating the rubble of his family home in the winter rain. "Did my house kill anyone that they should do this to me?" he asked. The Jerusalem municipality has 1.5 million shekels left in its demolition budget--enough to level 70 Palestinian homes--and it needs to spend the money before the end of the year. Such demolitions are part of Israel's campaign to create "facts on the ground": the aim is to guarantee Jerusalem's survival as the country's "eternal and undivided capital". Thousands of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, in Gaza and around Jerusalem have been destroyed in the face of international condemnation. Bulldozers have become a weapon of war.

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Israel's assault on Palestinian houses is not unique. In times of conflict, civilian homes are invariably singled out for attack. In recent decades, whole villages have been eradicated in various parts of the world, from Saddam …

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Publication information: Article title: Razing the Past: Soldiers and Civilians Are Not the Only Casualties of War. Aggressors Also Target the Physical Monuments to an Enemy's Existence and So Attack Their Libraries, Churches and Schools. Robert Bevan Reports on the Destruction of Memory. Contributors: Bevan, Robert - Author. Magazine title: New Statesman (1996). Volume: 134. Issue: 4770 Publication date: December 12, 2005. Page number: 38+. © Not available. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

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