Jerusalem, May 17: Israel's Supreme Court today lifted its temporary ban on the demolition of Palestinian homes in a Gaza refugee camp where the army plans to widen a flashpoint corridor it controls along the Egyptian border. The three-member panel, rejecting an extension of a stay sought by a Palestinian rights group, said the army could carry out such demolitions for security reasons. Seven soldiers were killed in and near the corridor, in Rafah camp, this week. Israeli political sources had said dozens or even hundreds of Palestinian homes in Rafah, on the edge of the ''Philadelphi'' buffer zone, would be razed to widen the corridor and give soldiers more protection from attack by militants. The court, which had issued its temporary injunction on Saturday, gave the army permission to demolish houses in the camp ''according to operational needs'' or if the military determined that soldiers' lives were in danger.

A lawyer for the petitioners voiced hope the court's decision could ultimately limit the scope of destruction.


''We are sure that the army will think very carefully about destroying houses in the future. This is a clear decision that there are certain conditions in which houses can be demolished,'' attorney Yunes Tamim told reporters. But Colonel Shuki Rinsky, deputy commander of the Gaza brigade, told reporters outside the court: ''if there will continue to be a danger to soldiers, we will continue to destroy houses without giving prior warning.''

Bureau Report