OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, September 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Some 100
Israeli academics expressed their concerns that Israeli Premier Ariel
Sharon would use an eventual U.S.-UK invasion of Iraq to carry out a
vicious attack on the Palestinians, amounting to "ethnic
cleansing".
According
to the website of Israeli newspaper Yidiout Ahronut, the
Israeli academics published a strongly-worded protest message
in the British paper the Guardian Saturday, September 28, in
which they warned against the Israeli government's use of any U.S.
attack on Iraq, to violently crack down on the Palestinians, reported
Quds Press.
The
message was signed by some one hundred Israeli academics, among them
were professors Linda Bin Tisfi, Hanna Herzog, and Tania Reinhart from
Tel Aviv university, professor Ilan Bibieh from Haifa university, as
well as professor Moshie Zeirmann from the Hebrew University in
Jerusalem.
The
message read, "We are members of Israeli Academies and we are
concerned about the mounting U.S. aggressive plans against Iraq,
greatly supported by the Israeli leadership. We are very worried the
Israeli government will use "the war atmosphere" to continue
its aggressive practices against the Palestinian people, that may
amount to ethnic cleansing.
"The
Israeli ruling coalition comprises parties that support evacuating
Palestinians by force, as a solution to what they call 'Demographic
problem'. The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, in a press interview
with Ha'aretz daily, stated that it was highly likely for the
army to adopt more aggressive measures to contain the Palestinian
territories more strictly. Sharon backed that statement up,"
added the message.
The
Israeli academics, in their message, asserted that such statements may
indicate the size of crimes (currently under study) by the leaders of
the occupation army.
They
also called on the international community to focus on the current
events in the Palestinian territories, adding that it should be made
clear (to the Israeli government) that the world could no more
tolerate any new crimes against humanity.
Within
the same line of events, professor Jacob Katraiel of Takhnaion
University in Haifa, said, "I hope that message will lead to
strong, real, and effective change, to the extent that stops the
Israeli leaders (from carrying on their plans of ethnic cleansing). He
added, in an interview published by Yidiout Ahronut, that the
message of the Israeli academics is gaining growing support
domestically and abroad
