In 2002, Israelis turned barbaric, held 3.5 million Palestinians hostage, turned every town and village to a detention camp, said Aloni.

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, January 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Israeli experts and former lawmakers described 2002 as the worst year in the history of the Jewish state because of the Israeli economic recession, largely attributed to the Palestinian Intifada, as well as the unprecedented "barbaric" way of dealing with the Palestinians.

Sholmet Aloni , a former Knesset member, told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth Thursday, January 2, stressed 2002 was the worst year in the Israeli history not only  because of the economic and security problems but also because of the moral deterioration in the Israeli society.

In 2002, we turned barbaric, held 3.5 million (Palestinians) hostage, turned every town and village to a detention camp and even razed historical buildings to build a park for Al-Ibrahimi mosque, she charged.

During this catastrophic year the Israeli government authorized an officer to destroy a whole neighborhood with a personal say which has never happened before, the former legislator recalled.

Aloni accused the Israeli government's legal advisor and his colleagues of burning Israel's democratic system  of the country.

She said that the so –called independent document on which the Jewish state was founded guarantees equal rights to all citizens and advocates the freedom of religion , education and culture.

However, stressed the former Israeli legislator, by the end of 2002 there were attempts to strip Arab citizens of these rights.

She cited, in this respect, the ban on the movie "Jenin..Jenin", the closure of the newspaper of the Islamic movement of Israeli Arabs and disqualifying Israeli Arab Knesset member Azmi Bishara from competing in forthcoming elections.

Maier Ba’eel, an Israeli historian and former member in Knesset, said that 2002 embodied the Israeli inability to curb Palestinian resistance operations.

Israel suffered tough time in 1948 and during the 1973 October war but sense of danger only lasted for few days and there was no feeling of a national catastrophe as is the cane now, he stressed.

It is true that the Palestinian are not threatening to occupy our land, but the people of Israel are living in fear and do not know what to do, he added.

He blamed these difficult conditions on former prime minister Ehud Barak because he wasted the chance to solve  the conflict  with Palestinian  in Camp David.

The Israeli historian also heaped blame on incumbent Israeli Premier Ariel who commends bloodshed at a time Israel stands helpless before attacks.

The Israeli government fiercely retaliates Palestinian attacks but this leads to no where, he said.

The use of force on our part fans more violence and the real problem is the lack of political solution in the horizon, said the Israeli expert.

The Palestinian Intifada witnessed rebellion by some Israeli soldiers, for the first time in the history of the Jewish state, to serve in the occupied territories, he recalled.

According to an official report issued by the Israeli central statistic department and published Wednesday, January 1, by Israeli newspapers, 2002 was economically the worst in the Israeli history since 1953.

In 2002, unemployment jacked up by 10.4 percent compared to 9.4 percent in 2001, said the report.

Investments in the Israeli market nose-dived by 98 percent, added the official Israeli report.

Commodities and services exports scaled down by 5.4 percent this year in continuation of the 11.7 percent decline in 2001.

The stagnant condition of the Israeli economy is largely attributed to the Palestinian Intifada against the Israeli occupation since September 2000.