Israel demolishes home of Palestinian bombing suspect

Published November 20, 2014
Jerusalem: Palestinians look at the debris from the demolished apartment of Abdel Rahman al Shaludi.—AP
Jerusalem: Palestinians look at the debris from the demolished apartment of Abdel Rahman al Shaludi.—AP

JERUSALEM: Israel on Wednesday demolished the home of a Palestinian behind a deadly car attack in Jerusalem, pushing ahead with a promised crackdown following a bloody assault on a synagogue.

Four rabbis and a policeman were killed on Tuesday after two Palestinians wielding meat cleavers and a gun launched a rare assault on a place of worship.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a harsh response to the synagogue assault, which was the bloodiest attack in Jerusalem in years.

“I have ordered the destruction of the homes of the Palestinians who carried out this massacre and to speed up the demolitions of those who carried out previous attacks,” Netanyahu said late on Tuesday.

Hours later Israeli forces razed the east Jerusalem apartment of the family of Abdelrahman Shaludi, who deliberately rammed his car into a crowd of pedestrians last month, killing a young woman and a baby.

Shaludi was shot by police as he fled the scene of his Oct 22 rampage, and later died of his wounds.

Israel is struggling to contain a wave of unrest in annexed Arab east Jerusalem that has seen a growing number of deadly attacks by Palestinians.

Punitive house demolitions have been used by Israel for years in the West Bank but the policy was halted in 2005 after the army said they had no proven deterrent effect.

Until now, razing homes has never been adopted as a matter of policy in annexed Arab east Jerusalem.

The family home in the densely populated neighbourhood of Silwan was little more than a shell after the demolition, its inner and outer walls blown out and piles of rubble covering the floor, a correspondent reported.

The family had moved out ahead of the demolition and were staying with relatives.

“Where can we go now? We have nowhere to live, no home,” said Shaludi’s sister Nibras, a young teenager in a bright pink flowered headscarf.Israel’s decision to resume the policy of house demolitions was taken on Nov 6 following a second attack by a Palestinian using a car which killed two Israelis, an official said.

The aim, he said was “to restore calm in Jerusalem” following a wave of attacks in the city.

In 2005, the army had recommended halting the policy, saying it was not effective as a deterrent and suggesting it was likely to encourage violence.

Human rights groups have denounced the practice as collective punishment targeting not the perpetrators but their families.

Published in Dawn, November 20th , 2014

Opinion

Editorial

Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....
Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...