Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the decision to destroy the family home of a detained Palestinian accused of a deadly shooting.
It precluded a plea by his estranged wife, who lives in the house with their children and says she was unaware of the attack. The case drew attention to Israel’s policy of demolishing the family homes of aggressors after they have been killed or detained.
Israeli officials say the destruction discourages future attacks, while rights groups view it as a form of collective punishment. The US State Department has urged a halt to punitive home demolitions.
In an internal evaluation by the Israeli military in 2004, the efficiency of the method as a deterrent has been allegedly interrogated, leading the military to largely halt such demolitions for approximately a decade.
Israel recommenced its practice in 2014 after three Israeli youngsters were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.
Israel says Muntasser Shalaby carried out a May 2 drive-by shelling in the occupied West Bank that killed an Israeli and injured two others. He was detained days after the attack.
His wife, Sanaa Shalaby, said they were disaffected for numerous years and that he spent most of his time in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had married three other women in unofficial Islamic ceremonies. The entire family has US citizenship.
