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Barak orders demolition of Jerusalem, yeshiva terrorists' homes
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Haim Ramon, Zur Baher, Israel 

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to issue injunctions calling to demolish the homes of two East Jerusalem men who had perpetrated terror attacks against Israeli civilians in Jerusalem, Army Radio reported Friday.

The first home to be demolished housed Hussam Duwiyat, who plowed a bulldozer into a string of vehicles in downtown Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding dozens more.

The second terrorist included in the injunction is Alaa Abu Dhaim who infiltrated the
  • Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem in March and gunned down eight students, also wounding many. Both perpetrators were killed by security forces during their respective attacks.
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    Barak's order was mainly based on Thursday's announcement by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz stating that razing homes of terrorists is permissable by law.

    Mazuz informed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Barak that rulings made by the High Court of Justice over the years clarify there is no constitutional barrier to demolishing the home of a terrorist, although there are legal obstacles in both the local and international arenas that must be considered.

    However, Mazuz warned Friday that the order could still raise legal difficulties in the international law arena as well as in Israel's law considerations.

    A security source on Friday added that Barak's decision is not likely to be implemented immediately, but rather marks only the first stage in a process leading up to the actual demolition.

    An alternative option that had been voiced in recent days was to seal off the home of the East Jerusalem terrorist, so as to avoid causing damage to two other families who also live in the same building.

    In response to Barak's order, human rights group B'Tselem called on Mazuz "not to sacrifice justice and morality on the altar of revenge." The group said that security experts had in the past concluded that the demolition of houses does not deter potential terrorists from carrying out attacks. B'Tselem maintains that these demolitions actually serve to fuel terror rather than eradicate it.

    Mazuz arrived at his ruling on Thursday that the demolition was permissable after in-depth discussions, held at his office and at the State Prosecution office over the question of whether Israel is permitted under the law to demolish the home of the East Jerusalem terrorists.

    Prior to the discussions, the Shin Bet security service and the Military Advocate General submitted to Mazuz their legal opinion on the matter. Barak and Olmert also submitted their views, both backing the demolition of the terrorists' homes.

    Mazuz added that "the individual examination of the circumstances of each incident must be carried out by the Shin Bet and the army in coordination with the Justice Ministry, as is customary."

    Earlier Thursday, Olmert reiterated his call to demolish the East Jerusalem home of Wednesday's terror attack perpetrator.

    "This is an attack which came from within Israel, into Israel. It creates a string of scenarios we never thought we would have to deal with in the past. We have invested thousands in the construction of a security fence. While it has been very effective, it turns out that a fence cannot give us the answer to the problem of terror which comes from our side," he said.

    Speaking from the Ceasaria business forum in the southern port city of Eilat, Olmert also said the social benefits of the terrorist's family should be taken away in light of the attack.

    "I think we need to be tougher in some of the means we use against perpetrators of terror," Olmert told the conference. "If we have to destroy houses, then we must do so, and if we have to stop their social benefits, then we must do so. There cannot be a case where they massacre us and at the same time they get all the privileges that our society provides," he said.

    Ramon: Cut off parts of East Jerusalem from capital

    Vice Premier Haim Ramon (Kadima) told Army Radio on Thursday morning that Israel should treat the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Jabel Mukaber and Zur Baher as Palestinian villages, and revoke the permanent residency status of their residents.

    Wednesday's attacker came from Zur Baher, and Jabel Mukaber was the home of the Mercaz Harav terrorist. In the aftermath of both attacks, Ramon called for the two neighborhoods to be entirely cut off from Jerusalem.

    "One of the main reasons that the attack was carried out yesterday with such ease was because there are Palestinian villages that for some reason are called Jerusalem - Jabel Mukaber and Zur Baher. They need to be treated as we treat Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin and Nablus," Ramon told Army Radio.

    "These are Palestinian villages that were never part of Jerusalem, they were annexed to the city in 1967. No Israeli has ever been there, and doesn't go near there," Ramon added, continuing, "If the separation fence was west of the two villages, which we all call Jerusalem, it would have been a lot harder to carry out these kinds of attacks. It's forbidden for [residents of the neighborhoods] to have Israeli identification cards. How many more Israelis will have to pay with their lives until this is carried out?"

    Ramon also told Army Radio that he felt, as opposed to the prime minister and his fellow ministers, that demolishing the home of the terrorist's family would not prevent the next terror attack. However, he said that the house should be demolished anyway, if the law allows it.

    "I doubt that demolishing the house will achieve what it aims to achieve, though if possible, the house must be razed. The laws must be made to fit the policy and we mustn't give up," Ramon said. "What we are permitted to do, we must do as soon as possible."

    On Wednesday, following the attack, Olmert and Barak called for terrorists' homes to be razed, and Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski echoed this sentiment.

    Related articles:
  • Three dead, dozens hurt in Jerusalem terror attack
  • Bradley Burston / Palestinian terrorism as a natural act
  • Jerusalem bus driver: Terrorist looked me in the eye and drove at me
  • Vice PM Ramon: Parts of J'lem must be given to Palestinians
  • VIDEO: Policeman shoots and kills Jerusalem terrorist during rampage
  • 8 die in terror attack on Jerusalem yeshiva
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      1.   bit hypocritical isnt it 11:52  |  SJ 03/07/08
      2.   Answer for Ramon (but he knows this already) 12:13  |  Natallie Durson 03/07/08
      3.   What will you do when the next attack comes from 12:37  |  Bandar Michaels 03/07/08
      4.   Oh Jerusalem Oh Israel 12:38  |  cleva treva 03/07/08
      5.   Remember this Sunday 12:46  |  Patriot of Israel 03/07/08
      6.   Racism 13:07  |  Javier 03/07/08
      7.   You allowed them to stay now ask them to leave. 13:23  |  petra 03/07/08
      8.   Revenge 13:24  |  Alex 03/07/08
      9.   How did it get to this?israel which was begging the UN in 1947 13:26  |  lakshmi 03/07/08
      10.   So Much for the Undivided, and Eternally United 13:36  |  ARTH 03/07/08
      11.   Persecuted Jews 13:37  |  human being 03/07/08
      12.   then what will you do with us in armon hanatsiv in between? 13:49  |  michelle 03/07/08
      13.   first the family, now entire neighbourhoods 13:50  |  Sarah 03/07/08
      14.   i agree that they should get e.jerusalem as their capital 13:54  |  michelle 03/07/08
      15.   Jerusalem cannot be severed 13:55  |  Brod 03/07/08
      16.   Can not have it both ways 14:03  |  Slibovitz 03/07/08
      17.   Ramone`s Agenda 14:05  |  Avi 03/07/08
      18.   Natalie, I suggest you visit Israel 14:07  |  Avi 03/07/08
      19.   #9 Lakshmi - I`ll tell you how 14:15  |  * BEN JABO 03/07/08
      20.   #11 human being ?? 14:17  |  * BEN JABO 03/07/08
      21.   #13 Sarah -It`s what they want 14:25  |  * BEN JABO 03/07/08
      22.   MORE DEFEATISM FROM THE OLMERT-LIVNI GOVERNMENT 14:27  |  Robert Schwartz 03/07/08
      23.   Should the House of the Bulldozer be razed\/ 14:29  |  Dagma 03/07/08
      24.   to #1 14:30  |  Hilda 03/07/08
      25.   Natallie # 2 - Civilian Attacks 14:34  |  Gil J. Yashar 03/07/08
      26.   Killing in Jerusalem 14:37  |  ng 03/07/08
      27.   Slibovitz #16 14:49  |  Brod 03/07/08
      28.   Bad thinking 14:55  |  Mirjam 03/07/08
      29.   Talk about severing... 14:58  |  Woody 03/07/08
      30.   What is going on?! 14:59  |  Frog 03/07/08
      31.   free the galilee 15:02  |  mark 03/07/08
      32.   Nice Democracy you got... 15:04  |  Woody 03/07/08
      33.   #9 lakshmi 15:31  |  John Allen 03/07/08
      34.   Haaretz 15:34  |  Haaretz Loyalist 03/07/08
      35.   #19 - Hilda just remind us all where you live 15:34  |  SJ 03/07/08
      36.   "for some reason" um, well, yes, they were annexed 15:43  |  Paul Freedman 03/07/08
      37.   Severing 15:44  |  Jim 03/07/08
      38.   In other words 15:53  |  Proud Israeli....... 03/07/08
      39.   RAMON, AN ISRAELI FASCIST 16:12  |  JH 03/07/08
      40.   HEY LEFTIES! 16:16  |  royzer 03/07/08
      41.   WHAT PROFF HIS FAMILY KNEW??????? 16:17  |  JH 03/07/08
      42.   house demolition 16:17  |  Nora 03/07/08
      43.   E.Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine 16:21  |  Samer Salameh 03/07/08
      44.   eventually these places will be Palastinian but let us not throw 16:22  |  Jo 03/07/08
      45.   Not one single Israeli Arab over here. That`s new... 16:26  |  S 03/07/08
      46.   TRAGEDIES WILL CONTINUE FOR ISRAEL 16:40  |  charlie mingus 03/07/08
      47.   PROOF! 16:53  |  Dolly 03/07/08
      48.   #41 JH - Proof was his Aunt hollering her approval 16:58  |  * BEN JABO 03/07/08
      49.   #42 Nora - The house was Illegally constructed 17:01  |  * BEN JABO 03/07/08
      50.   It`s the jews, stupid 17:04  |  david gold 03/07/08
      51.   #46 Charlie Mingus - I don`t know which history 17:07  |  * BEN JABO 03/07/08
      52.   Excellent idea by Ramon 17:12  |  Mark B. 03/07/08
      53.   Peres is saying indirectly lets divide jerusalem 17:21  |  zionist forever 03/07/08
      54.   An interesting observation.... 17:23  |  A. 03/07/08
      55.   Opportunist politicians 17:49  |  Pssd Off American 03/07/08
      56.   ISRAELI LIES FROM BEN JABO 17:53  |  JH 03/07/08
      57.   Samer Salameh # 43 Not Yet, It Isn`t 18:02  |  Jeff Northridge 03/07/08
      58.   arab workers 18:04  |  zecharia 03/07/08
      59.   BEN JABO, GET AN EDUCATION READ "PALESTINE INSIDE OUT` 18:05  |  JH 03/07/08
      60.   This vice premier really makes it clear 18:08  |  John 03/07/08
      61.   To Michelle 18:42  |  John 03/07/08
      62.   To Ben Jabo 18:44  |  John 03/07/08
      63.   The punk (shahid) had a blue ID. 18:48  |  Joseph.E 03/07/08
      64.   To Ben Jabo 18:49  |  John 03/07/08
      65.   #58 JH - Don`t have to read it 18:50  |  * BEN JABO 03/07/08
      66.   To Ben Jabo 18:50  |  John 03/07/08
      67.   To JH in Concord 18:51  |  John