The brother, Ziad ‘Awwad, who is accused of committing an attack that killed a police officer, had been living in a rented apartment in the house for the past two years, with his family.
The government of Israel has recently ordered a return to using
punitive house demolitions, and after the abduction of three Israeli youths in the West Bank, ‘Awawdeh’s home was chosen for the resurrection of this unacceptable policy.
The military
initially planned to demolish the entire house, but after HaMoked proved in
an objection it filed that the house belongs to the brother and that he and his family also live there, the army changed its position and decided to demolish only half of the two-story structure, though the ground floor was never rented to ‘Awwad’s family.
The military’s
response to the objection arrived Friday evening, stating that the demolition would take place on Monday, June 30, 2014 at noon. In response,
HaMoked filed an urgent petition this morning, requesting an interim injunction that would prevent any damage to the house before legal proceedings are concluded. HaMoked clarified that, at the very least, the demolition should not go ahead without a professional opinion as to how it might affect the part of the structure that is not slated for demolition, as well as the surrounding area. Given that the timing of the military’s response created an extremely tight schedule, HaMoked asked for an extension that would enable it to provide the required expert opinion.
The court did not grant HaMoked’s requests and scheduled the case for a hearing tomorrow, Monday, 30 June 2014, at 11:00 AM – just one hour before the demolition is due to take place.
HaMoked reiterates its principled objection to punitive house demolitions, which are nothing more than unacceptable, prohibited, collective punishment. The security establishment claims the demolition is meant as a deterrence, but in 2005, the military’s own commission of inquiry reached the conclusion that this policy is counterproductive. The decision to demolish the Idhna home smacks of Israeli vindictiveness over the abduction of the three youths, which Israel attributes to Hamas. This demolition will hurt people whose only sin is being related to an un-convicted offender.
