19 minutes ago AP May 23 2004
JERUSALEM - An Israeli Cabinet minister on Sunday said the army's demolition of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) reminded him of actions the Nazis took against his family during World War II and called for a halt to the policy of destroying homes.
The remarks by Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, a Holocaust survivor, sparked an uproar at the weekly Cabinet meeting, officials at the meeting said.
The ministers were discussing Israel's demolition of homes in the Rafah refugee camp. Dozens of homes have been destroyed or damaged during an ongoing offensive along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Lapid was quoted by officials at the meeting as saying a picture of an old Palestinian woman on the rubble of her home reminded him "of my grandmother in the Holocaust."
The statement outraged hard-line Likud Party ministers, who demanded he recant.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) said such comments add "oil to the fire of incitement."
Lapid said he was not comparing Israel to the Nazis but there "is no forgiveness for people who treat an old woman in this way."