The demolition of a family house in the occupied West Bank this month has blown open the debate on Israel’s policy of destroying the homes of Palestinians linked to attacks.
Fiery explosions ripped through the two-storey house in Turmus Ayya, a village north of Ramallah, before the red-roofed turrets of the house came crashing down on July 8.
On a quiet street opposite a school, the house had been home to Sanaa Shalabi and her three children who are all American citizens.
It was also where the children’s father, Muntasser Shalabi, stayed the night before reportedly carrying out a drive-by shooting in the West Bank that killed Israeli Yehuda Guetta and wounded two others.
Mr Shalabi has been charged over the shooting and is set to face an Israeli military court. Meanwhile, the family home was demolished as part of a policy the army says is necessary “to deter potential terrorists from carrying out attacks” against Israelis.
“The demolition of the house was approved in a detailed judgment of the Supreme Court, which ruled that the demolition of the house is legal, proportionate and achieves the purpose of deterrence,” the military said.
The military did not provide evidence to show that the policy serves as a deterrent when asked by The National.
Around 2,000 Palestinian homes have been punitively demolished or sealed up by Israeli forces since the country’s military took control of the West Bank in 1967, a UN report shows.
The policy has been repeatedly challenged by Israeli rights groups including HaMoked, whose executive director Jessica Montell described it as “morally bankrupt”.
“It’s a blatant collective punishment. You’re intentionally targeting innocent people because you think it’s going to deter future terrorists,” said Ms Montell.
Israeli courts have upheld the law itself numerous times and so HaMoked presents objections specific to each demolition order, such as the unique circumstances of the Shalabi case.
Sanaa Shalabi, who did not respond to an interview request, has been estranged from her husband for years. He had been living in the US and spent a few weeks each year visiting his children.
The rights group also argued that he had been suffering from mental illness and was on antipsychotic drugs at the time of the May 2 attack.
These arguments were rejected by the court. Of around 80 legal challenges filed since 2014, only 10 have been successful in preventing a home demolition according to HaMoked.
The Shalabi family’s American citizenship drew the attention of the US embassy in Jerusalem, which called for “all parties to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions”.
“As we stated numerous times, the home of an entire family should not be demolished for the actions of one individual,” an embassy spokesman said.
US envoy Hady Amr travelled to Israel and the Palestinian territories last week, but the issue was not mentioned in a summary of his visit published by the embassy.
Michael Lynk, UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, described punitive demolitions as collective punishment which is “absolutely prohibited” under international law.
Without broader global criticism, which would in turn pressure Washington, he saw no end to the policy.
“Virtually the only government that Israel listens to internationally would be the American government,” Mr Lynk told The National.
“[If] America doesn’t decide to pose any costs on the occupation regarding Israel’s practices, then I don’t think we’re going to see any substantive changes.”
Although the current government is a broad coalition that includes Arab and left-wing parties, the alliance led by nationalist Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is unlikely to table policy changes in the West Bank.
“Certainly with respect to the Palestinians, I suspect what we have now is a government that’s going to be Netanyahu with more manners,” said Mr Lynk, referring to the former right-wing leader.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
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The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
Company Profile
Company name: Big Farm Brothers
Started: September 2020
Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur
Based: Dubai Investment Park 1
Industry: food and agriculture
Initial investment: $205,000
Current staff: eight to 10
Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
