RAMALLAH, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli forces dawn Wednesday demolished the family home of an alleged attacker in the village of Kobar, northwest of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

Witnesses said that large number of Israeli soldiers, backed by a bulldozer, raided Kobar, the hometown of Saleh Barghouthi, whom Israel accuses of carrying out a shooting attack in Ofra settlement, and demolished his family’s home.

Saleh was gunned down in a military ambush on December 12 for allegedly carrying out a shooting attack, which resulted in the injuring of seven Israeli settlers in Ofra settlement to the north of Ramallah on December 9.

Mayor of Kobar Izzat Badwan said that this was the fourth house demolished by Israel during the last two years and affirmed that such demolition crimes won’t undermine the Palestinian people’s steadfastness and adherence to its legitimate rights.

During ensuing clashes, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters towards local youngsters who protested the raid, injuring a protestor with a tear gas canister in the head.

On March 8, Israel had demolished the family home of Saleh’s borother, Assem, who is currently in Israeli detention, for being suspected of killing two Israeli soldiers near Ramallah on December 13, a day after the killing of Saleh.

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.T./ K.F.