Army forces arriving at the small village of Aqaba in the northern West Bank (near Tubas) handed to inhabitants an order to demolish the local kindergarten, as well as a sheet metal hut where a poor family with eight children lives.

“Those who sign such a barbaric order and send soldiers to terrorize children in a small, quiet village where few hundred families live, proves the nullity of the governmental peace speeches and solemn conferences" said Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, in a letter of protest to Defence Minister Barak.

Gush Shalom notes that a few months ago the army placed at the entrance of Aqaba a warning sign forbidding Israeli citizens to enter and stating that the village is “a Palestinian territory". “If indeed this is a Palestinian territory and recognized as such. It is time that the bureaucrats of the Army’s ‘Civil Administration' cease their harassment of the villagers, whose only desire is to be left alone on their poor soil” was written in Gush Shalom’s protest.

Contact: Adam Keller, Gush Shalom spokesperson adam@gush-shalom.org Haj Sami Sadek, Mayor of Aqaba aqaba2006@yahoo.com

Protests sent to:

Defence Minister Ehud Barak Ministry of Defense Hakirya, Tel Aviv 61909,

Defense Ministry spokesperson

Tel: 972-3-6975546, 972-3-6975339 Fax: 972-3-6977285 Email: dover@mod.gov.il

copies to: Lt. Gen. William Fraser (at present in Israel) via American Embassy ac5@bezeqint.net

the Delegation of the European Commission, delegation head Ramiro Cibrian - delegation-israel@ec.europa.eu

Mayor of Aqaba, Haj Sami Sadek aqaba2006@yahoo.com