Israeli forces today notified the families of three Palestinian prisoners of their intention to demolish their houses across the occupied West Bank.
The Palestine Prisoners’ Society (PPS) confirmed that Israeli forces broke into the family house of Mohammad Walid Hanatsheh in the Attira neighborhood of the West Bank city of Ramallah, and handed the family a military order to demolish their house.
RT PalestineChron "#Israel Demolishes Home of #Palestinian Prisoner https://t.co/dlxqzLkrxN PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/LSjSdcntVD"
— Richard Hardigan (@RichardHardigan) January 20, 2019
Forces also handed the family of Yazan Mghamas a military order to demolish their house in a raid in Birzeit town, to the north of Ramallah.
Hanatsheh and Mghamas are currently in Israeli custody for their alleged involvement, along with Samer Arbeed, in the killing of a Jewish settler near the illegal colonial settlement of Dolev, in August 2019.
The Israeli military handed a similar demolition order to the family of Mahmoud Atawneh in the town of Beit Kahel town, northwest of Hebron (Al-Khalil).
#Silwan Family Ordered to Destroy Own #Home to Avoid Demolition Fees by Israelis https://t.co/nzY2yfRj11 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/YaP3VHOJri
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 25, 2017
Kamel Atawneh told WAFA that soldiers wreaked havoc into his 140-meter-sized house, and took photos and measurements for it in preparation for the planned punitive demolition.
Atawneh’s son, Mahmoud, who is currently in Israeli custody, is accused of allegedly stabbing a settler at the Gush Etzion illegal settlement bloc, in July 2019.
Demolishing homes as a form of collective punishment is one of the most extreme measures that Israel employs as a mean of deterrence.
Amnesty: Israel’s Mass Demolition of Jerusalem Homes a ‘War Crime’ (VIDEOS) https://t.co/gK1UCjFaIF via @PalestineChron
— Michael Dean (@Okavangomick) July 24, 2019
According to the human rights group B’tselem, “over the years, Israel has demolished hundreds of houses as part of this policy, leaving thousands of Palestinians homeless”.
This policy was widely condemned by human rights groups as “a collective punishment”, which is prohibited and violates binding provisions of international law.
(The Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
