In recent days, HaMoked filed 14
objections to the
punitive demolition and sealing orders issued by the military against 11 homes of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West bank who committed or are suspected of having committed attacks against Israelis in recent months. Eleven of the objections were filed on behalf of the families and three on behalf of neighbors living near three of the targeted apartments.
The orders were issued for the following homes:
Beit ‘Amra, Hebron District – family home of the suspect in the January 17, 2016 attack in the South Hebron Hills; Qalandia Refugee Camp – family homes of the two perpetrators of the December 23, 2015 attack at Jaffa Gate, the Old City of Jerusalem; Hebron – family home of the perpetrator of the December 7, 2015 attack in Hebron; Nablus – family homes of the three suspects in the October 1, 2015 attack east of Nablus; Sur Bahir, East Jerusalem – family homes of the four suspects in the September 13, 2015 attack in Jerusalem.
In the objections concerning the four homes in Sur Bahir in East Jerusalem, HaMoked forcefully argued against the intent to seal the families’ homes, even though the criminal case against the four youths – suspected, inter alia, of stone throwing – was still underway. Moreover, HaMoked recalled that Regulation 119, pursuant to which the military commander ordered seizure and sealing of homes, did not relate to stone throwing cases; therefore, its application in such cases was highly unbalanced and unreasonable.
Another demolition order was issued for the family home in Nablus of one of the men suspected of involvement in a shooting attack east of Nablus on October 1, 2015. The targeted apartment is on the fifth floor of a nine-floor building. HaMoked stressed that the demolition might leave many innocent people without a roof over their heads. Therefore, HaMoked demanded that the military reconsider sealing only the suspect’s room, who had lived there, at his parents’ apartment, with his newlywed. HaMoked recalled that the criminal proceeding against the suspect was ongoing and that the man was only suspected of minor involvement in the incident. HaMoked also noted that the demolition order was issued in great delay, some six months after the attack.
Another objection was filed on behalf of neighbors seeking the cancelation of a punitive demolition order issued for a home in Qalandia Refugee Camp, in which lived the perpetrator of the attack at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem on December 23, 2015. The targeted apartment is in the first floor of a five-floor building, located in a crowded neighborhood. HaMoked asserted that in such a densely populated area, the demolition might cause severe damage to many other apartments and thus harm numerous innocent people.
HaMoked demanded the revocation, or at least the reduction of scope, of the demolition orders – especially since most cases concern single men living at their parents’ home.
In all objections, HaMoked reiterated that punitive demolition of homes constitutes collective punishment and mainly harms innocent people, including children, in breach of international law. HaMoked reasserted that the efficacy of this cruel measure had never been proven, and moreover, reality proves that this policy breeds hatred and ruin and perpetuates the cycle of violence.
