Israel to demolish two Palestinian homes in Sila Al-Harithiya
The homes belong to the alleged attackers behind the shooting of an Israeli settler
Jerusalem24 – The Israeli military decided to demolish two houses in the town of Al-Sila Al-Harithiya, West of Jenin.
One house belongs to the family of Ghaith and Omar Jaradat and the second belongs to their uncle Sheikh Mohammad Jaradat. The Israeli authorities accuses them of being responsible for the attack that took place near the Israeli settlement of Homesh in which a settler was killed.
A reporter for the Al-Quds newspaper reported that around 30 Israeli military vehicles stormed the town at night and surrounded the homes of the detainees, as Israeli engineering teams took measurements of the homes in preparation for their demolition.
While Israeli formally halted the practice in 2005, they resumed the practice officially in 2014. Makarim Wibisono, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian territory condemned the practice.
Wibisono told the Human Rights Council that there was no legal nor ethical stand point for families to be punished for the alleged actions of a relative.
In 2015, the Israeli Security Cabinet extended the use of punitive demolitions, announcing that no new construction will be allowed on the site of demolished homes and that the property may be liable to confiscation.
The move drew criticism from the numerous human rights groups including the UN and the International Committee for the Red Cross.
The Jaradat family stated that the soldiers detained them and informed them that the demolition would be carried out within days. After the Israeli military withdrew from the area, the two houses were evacuated.
The town witnessed violent confrontations with the occupation forces, as hundreds of young men from the city, camp and towns of Jenin went to Silat Al-Harithiya using motorcycles and vehicles.
The confrontations lasted for several hours, punctuated by shooting and throwing explosive devices and Molotov cocktails at the patrols.
After they withdrew, the forces set up ambushes and checkpoints around the town to arrest the young men who came from the Jenin areas to support the residents of Al-Sila.
