Mere hours after the IDF demolished the home of a terrorist who killed an Israeli soldier, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a directive to rebuild the home, an official in Ramallah said Sunday.
The IDF 's Duvdevan counterterrorism unit demolished the home of Islam Yusuf Abu Hamid, who on May 24 dropped a marble slab on 20-year-old Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky during a routine raid in the al-Amari refugee camp, killing him.
Abu Hamid was arrested on June 13. His family appealed to the High Court of Justice to prevent the demolition, arguing that razing their home constituted "disproportionate punitive action."
However, the petition was denied.
Israel demolishes the homes of terrorists as a deterrent measure to dissuade potential terrorists from committing attacks.
IDF troops destroyed Hamid's home with two controlled explosions in an operation involving dozens of soldiers and military vehicles on Saturday night. The operation was complicated as the home was located in the center of the densely populated camp.
Residents of al-Amari began clashing with the Israeli forces almost immediately, and the troops used crowd control measures to disperse them.
The demolition took place after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also acting defense minister, ordered the IDF to step up its counterterrorism efforts in the area in the wake of the spike in terrorist attacks across Judea and Samaria in recent weeks.
The IDF has been ordered to demolish terrorists' homes within 48 hours of the identification of an attacker, and to step up raids and arrests. The Defense Ministry has also decided to revoke the entry permits to Israel granted to terrorists' relatives and accomplices.
