HEBRON, Wednesday, January 16, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Wednesday raided the family house of a Palestinian prisoner in the southern West Bank town of Yatta, south of Hebron, in preparation to demolish it, said a local activist.
Coordinator of the National and Popular Committees in southern Hebron Rateb al-Jbour told WAFA that Israeli forces raided the family house of Khalil Jabarin, 17, and took footage of it in preparation for demolition.
Jabarin purportedly carried out a stabbing attack near the illegal settlement of Gush Etzion, on September 16, killing a settler and injuring another, before being shot and detained by Israeli forces.
On December 16, Israeli forces notified the family about their intention to punitively demolish their apartment, located in the third floor of a residential building in Yatta, and allowed them a grace period until January 2nd, 2019 to appeal the demolition order.
According to al-Jbour, Israeli forces had already prepared the house for demolition approximately three months ago, creating holes or cracks in the walls to plant explosives.
The Jabarin family had appealed the court’s ruling to demolish the house, however, their appeal was dismissed.
They called on human rights organizations to immediately intervene to prevent the demolition.
Israel resorts to punitively demolish the family homes of Palestinians- am a means of deterrence- accused of being involved in attacks against Israelis, a policy that Israel does not apply to Israeli settlers who were involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians.
The policy was widely condemned by human rights groups as “a collective punishment” and “a war crime and crime against humanity”.
K.F.
