Palestinian and International civilians to resist revenge home demolition
Wednesday 6 October ’15 Surda Ramallah
Palestinian civilians joined by International solidarity activists will gather tonight, Tuesday 6 October ’15, at the
home of the bereaved family of Muhannad Halabi, which is threatened by demolition in retaliation for the fatal stabbing
of two Israeli settlers in the Old City Jerusalem on Saturday 3 October ’15.
Muhannad Halabi, who was a 19 year old student, was killed by the Israeli military at the scene of the stabbing. A home
of his family in the village of Surda, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, was ransacked on Sunday morning and the
family was violently attacked by the Israeli military and Muhannad’s uncle sustained a head wound requiring five
stitches in the raid. Occupation forces are expected to carry out a revenge demolition of the family home. See video
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTUKc_0GDEA
Revenge demolitions of the houses of Palestinians accused of attacking Israelis, as a means of collective punishment,
has been Israel’s long established practice. To further the retaliation, Muhannad’s body is being held by the Israeli
government and refused return to his mother, who has been hospitalized three times due to grief and anxiety.
Following a series of new measures announced by Benjamin Netanyahu the retaliatory house demolitions have been moved
forward. On October 6th two houses were blown up which were former homes of two Palestinians who carried out attacks
against the Israelis last year.
Marie, an international activist from the US staying in the house stated: ‘Punishing a family for something that one of
their members have done, is just not acceptable. This is illegal and should not happen in any country which respects
human rights and considers itself democratic’.
‘We have to be present at this horrible and violent miscarriage of justice, whose only aim is to humiliate and make
destitute even more innocent Palestinians living under a brutal Israeli occupation’, added Dezeray also from the United
States.
ENDS