HEBRON, Sunday, December 16, 2018 (WAFA) – Israeli forces notified the family of 17-year-old Khalil Jabarin, a prisoner in Israeli jails from the town of Yatta in the southern West Bank, about their intention to demolish their home as a punitive measure for their son’s alleged killing of an Israeli settler in September.

The commander of the so-called Israeli military central command signed a military order approving the demolition of the Jabarin‘s family apartment located in the third floor of a residential building in Yatta.

The Israeli commander reportedly gave Jabarin‘s family a grace period not exceeding the second of January 2019 to appeal the military order before Israeli military courts.

Israeli occupation forces have long resorted to punitive demolitions of the family homes of Palestinians – as means of deterrence – who are accused of being involved in attacks against Israelis, a policy that Israel does not use against Israeli settlers who are involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians.

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 concluded 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.”

M.N