SALFIT, January 20, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli forces early Wednesday handed an order to demolish the family house of a Palestinian detainee in Qarawat Bani Hassan town, northwest of Salfit, for his alleged involvement in a stabbing attack that took place in October 2015.

Israeli forces stormed and ransacked the family house of ‘Abdul-‘Aziz Mar‘i, wreaking havoc inside it and locking the family inside one room.

Forces handed the family an order notifying them of their plan to demolish their house on Sunday January 24.

Enclosed with the demolition order were aerial photos for houses surrounding the Mar‘i’s family.

Mar‘i, a university student, was reportedly detained for assisting Muhannad Halabi, who is accused of stabbing and killing two Israelis in Jerusalem’s Old City in October 2015.

Halabi was shot dead by Israeli police after stabbing and killing two Israelis and injuring two others in Jerusalem’s Old City on October 3rd.

The two Israeli casualties were then identified as rabbi Nehemiah Lavi and Aharon Banita.

The family house of Halabi was punitively demolished in Surda village, north of Ramallah, on January 9th.

The planned demolition of Halabi’s family house came in line with the Israeli policy of punitive demolition of family houses of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks on Israeli targets.

Israel resorts to punitively demolish the family homes of any Palestinians – as means of deterrence - accused of being involved in attacks against Israelis, a policy that Israel does not use against Israeli settlers who were involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians.

This policy was widely condemned by human rights organizations as “collective punishment” and “a war crime and a crime against humanity”.

B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, says: “The people who bear the brunt of the [punitive] demolitions are relatives – including women, the elderly, and children – whom Israel does not suspect of involvement in any offense.”

“In the vast majority of cases, the person whose actions prompted the demolition was not even living in the house at the time of the demolition,” adds the group.

“The official objective of the house demolition policy is deterrence … yet the deterrent effect of house demolitions has never been proven.”

It said that, “Since this constitutes deliberate harm to innocents, it is clear that even if house demolition had the desired deterrent effect, it would, nevertheless, remain unlawful.”

Amnesty International, argued that, 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 s on the actions which an occupying power may take in the name of security, and the absolute prohibition on collective punishment is one of the most important of these rules.”

“Collective punishment is never permissible under any circumstances.”

K.F./T.R.