Israeli army destroys home of Palestinian bomb suspect

A Palestinian boy tries to salvage an Item from the rubble of the building that was partly demolished by the Israeli army, in the West Bank village of Kobar, near Ramallah, Monday, May 11, 2020. (AP)

KUBAR: Israel’s army on Monday demolished the West Bank home of a Palestinian charged with involvement in a bomb attack that killed an Israeli teenager, AFP journalists said.
The explosion last August 23 near a spring close to the Jewish settlement of Dolev in the West Bank killed 17-year-old Rina Shnerb and wounded her father and brother.
Four men were later arrested and charged including Qassam Shibli, who Israel said had made and planted the explosive device.
His family appealed unsuccessfully against the planned home demolition before the Israeli supreme court, arguing it amounted to collective punishment.
Israeli soldiers entered the village of Kobar before dawn Monday and demolished Shibli’s second-floor home, an AFP journalist at the scene said.
Clashes broke out, with young Palestinians throwing stones at the soldiers, the journalist said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said one person, wounded in the head by a tear gas canister, was taken to hospital for treatment, while another four were treated at the scene for light injuries.
The homes of two other men convicted over the incident were demolished in March.
Israel routinely demolishes the homes of those accused of carrying out attacks.
It argues that such measures act as a deterrent, but critics say it amounts to collective punishment.
Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement they had “held the terrorist to account” for the murder.
“House destruction is an important tool in deterring terrorists,” he said.