On November 14, 2016, the military issued a demolition order to an apartment in which lived an East Jerusalem resident who had committed an attack on October 9, 2016 in Jerusalem. The family’s apartment is located on the seventh floor of a nine story building in Kafr Aqab in East Jerusalem
On November 16, 2016, HaMoked sent to the military an
objection to the order, stressing that the intended demolition would leave the man’s wife and five children, who were not involved in any way in his deed, without a home. HaMoked reiterated the fact that house demolition constituted collective punishment, violating the basic rights of innocent people, and a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
In response to the military’s notice that the demolition would be done “manually by breaking the apartment’s inner and outer divisions, without damaging the structure’s framework”, HaMoked expressed concern that, as occurred repeatedly in the past, severe damage might be caused to the other apartments in the building and their occupants.
Following the objection’s rejection by the military, HaMoked
petitioned the High Court of Justice (HCJ) on November 22, 2016, to cancel the demolition order.
That same day the HCJ issued a temporary order prohibiting the demolition of the family’s home pending another decision.
