Haaretz
Kislev 3, 5765
The Israeli human
rights organization B'Tselem slammed the High Court of Justice on Monday,
accusing it of acting as a "rubber stamp" for government policy regarding
demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
According to the group's annual report published Monday, the
Israel Defense Forces has been responsible for demolition of 4,100 homes
in the territories since the start of the intifada in September 2000,
leaving 28,000 Palestinians homeless.
The report says that 628
housing units, which were home to 3,983 people, were demolished as a
punitive measure, which constitutes a breach of international law and is
therefore a war crime. The report also states that 295 of the 628
buildings - almost half - were never home to anyone suspected of
involvement in attacks against Israelis.
Thus, the group says,
1,286 innocent people were made homeless.
The report also claims
that "contrary to its argument before the High Court of Justice that prior
warning is given except in extraordinary cases," the IDF only gave advance
notice of demolition in less than 3 percent of cases.