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Wednesday 07 Oct 2015 - 11:53 Makkah mean time-24-12-1436
(Image from EPA)
Jerusalem, (IINA) - Israeli authorities demolished on Tuesday three houses of Palestinian families and sealed off another one with cement as a punitive measure, local sources say that such measures were imposed for involvement in attacks against Israelis, WAFA reported.
The four homes belong to the families of four Palestinians who were killed by Israel after they were believed to be involved in attacks that targeted Israel.
At midnight, staff from Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem under the protection of Israeli armed forces sealed off Jabal Al-Mukabir neighborhood in Jerusalem, they then started detonating and demolishing the homes of Ghassan and Udai Abu-Jamal, two cousins involved in the attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem in November 2014.
Forces also demolished the house of Mohammad Ja’abis who was also believed to be involved in an alleged excavator attack against Israelis in Jerusalem.
Police also sealed off the house of Muataz Hejazi with cement blocks. Hejazi was shot dead in 2014 by Israeli forces for being allegedly involved in an attack against an Israeli far-right rabbi, Yehuda Glick, in Jerusalem last year.
According to the sources, the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barakat was personally involved in Tuesday’s demolition.
During the Israeli attacks on the area, Palestinian youths confronted the Israeli forces, the latter used teargas, toxic gas canisters and stun grenades as well as rubber-coated bullets to disperse the youths.
According to the Israeli daily Haartez, a statement issued by the Israeli prime minister’s office on Monday stated that: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to establish a mechanism that would significantly shorten the legal process when dealing with the demolition of terrorist homes”.
Haartez also reported that during a cabinet meeting that lasted more than five hours, Israeli Education Minister Bennett demanded that Israel build settlements after every terror attack, he also demanded that Israeli forces demolish two homes of convicted terrorists and seal off another.
The Palestinian government condemned the demolitions, saying that the series of violations committed by Israel against the Palestinian people are a breach of article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Amnesty International argued the Israeli authorities’ claim that such demolitions are effective in dissuading potential attackers is entirely irrelevant in the eyes of International humanitarian law, which places clear limits on the actions that an occupying power may take in the name of security.
Amnesty International pointed out that the absolute prohibition of collective punishment is one of the most important rules in the international humanitarian law, it further said: “Collective punishment is never permissible under any circumstances”.
Israel had to terminate an earlier policy of punitive home demolitions in 1998, but it reinstituted it after the start of the second Palestinian intifada in 2000. According to data collected by the Israeli group B'Tselem, Israeli forces punitively destroyed more than 650 Palestinian homes, resulting in the displacement of more than 4,000 people during the period of 2000 to 2005.
AG/IINA
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