Israeli Military Gives Demolition Notices to Families of Seven Palestinian Assailants
Families of suspected terrorists behind several notable terror attacks over past several months subject to notices.
The Israel Defense Forces and the Civil Administration served the families of seven suspected Palestinian terrorists with demolition notices late Thursday night. The notices allow the families to appeal to courts before the planned demolitions.
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Among the homes slated to be demolished include the Beit Amra home the minor behind the January killing of Dafna Meir in Otniel and the Hebron home of Ihab Maswada, who killed Genadi Kaufman in a December stabbing attack near the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Soldiers also gave notices to the family of Issa Assaf and Anan Abu Habsah in Qalandiyah, who killed Rabbi Reuben Birmajer in a stabbing attack at Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate. The three Nablus families related to the Hamas cell responsible for the October 2014 murders of Eitan and Naama Henkin also received demolition notices.
The defense establishment believes that housing demolitions serve as a deterrent to future attacks, even though an IDF committee ruled during the second intifada that this was not effective.
On Thursday, new Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit approved the demolition of terrorists’ houses as his first move on the job. Mandelblit, however, did not give approval for demolition of the home of the terrorist responsible for the shooting attack in which Rabbi Yaakov Litman and his son Netanel were killed near Otniel last November.