Israel razes home of Palestinian

Israel's military said on Tuesday that an army unit had blown up the home of a Palestinian accused of assisting in the killing of an Israeli man in a West Bank ambush in July.

Witnesses in the West Bank town of Dura confirmed that the family home of Mohammed Ibrawish, who is currently being held in prison, was completely demolished by Israeli soldiers in a pre-dawn operation.

The family of Ibrawish had reportedly appealed against the demolition order to the Israeli High Court, but their appeal had been rejected.

The Israeli army said Ibrawish had "assisted in the planning and execution" of the July 1 attack on a family car in which the 48-year-old Israeli man, Miki Mark, was killed and his wife and two of their children wounded.

Wave of attacks

The shooting was one in a spate of attacks on Israelis by Palestinians since September 2015, triggered by perceived Israeli violations at a disputed site that is holy to both Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem. Thirty-four Israelis and two visiting Americans have been killed, as well as 208 Palestinians who have mostly been identified as attackers by Israeli authorities.

Israel says that demolishing houses belonging to the attackers is an effective deterrent measure, but rights groups have condemned the tactic, saying that it amounts to collective punishment and is illegal under international law.

tj/jm (dpa, AP)