CHAPTER TWENTY

DEMOLITION AND SEALING OF PALESTINIAN HOMES

From its very inception, Zionism has planned the evacuation and eradication of the Arab presence in Palestine. A consistent element of Zionist policy and terrorism toward that aim has been the destruction of Arab houses in order to force the departure of the indigenous population of Palestine from its native land.

The Israeli armed forces destroy Arab homes without any excuse of military exigency, solely to deprive Arab families of their ancestral homes and leave them with no place to live in Palestine.

From 1948 to 1967 Israel committed the war crime of demolishing the houses and buildings of 492 Arab small towns and villages and settling Jews in the houses of Arabs in 12 Palestinian cities and large towns under Zionist occupation.

After the battle died down, the Israeli authorities used contrived pretexts to destroy or seal Arab houses in the territory under their control. They would claim "abandonment" of houses when in fact they had forcibly prevented the Arab occupants from dwelling in them, and even forcibly deported the population of entire villages in trucks and then demolished the houses in the village so that no one could return.

After Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in June, 1967, the practice of house demolition and sealing continued.

In order to demolish or seal an Arab house Israeli authorities claim, for instance, that a pan of it was constructed without the "necessary licenses or permits," although it was, and is, almost impossible for a Palestinian Arab to find out I the exact requirements for licences and permits, let alone to fulfill the requirements. The Israeli authorities created zoning policies designed to excise Arab presence in designated areas. The Israelis would also claim an archaeological "find," without scientific basis, on an Arab house's land and then designate the land as an "archaeological site" solely for the purpose of sealing the house and evicting its Arab inhabitants.

Most insidious of all are the collective punishment policies the Israelis use for demolishing homes and evicting Arab families. It is a firm principle of law that the innocent family of someone convicted of an offense is not to be subjected to punishment, which should be restricted only to the proven guilty party. The Israelis destroy the houses of families of persons who are accused, not even convicted, of violations of occupation regulations, which are themselves illegal. Even if aperson is convicted of an actual offense, it is a contravention of every legal and human principle to punish the offender's family by destroying his family's residence and rendering it homeless.

Since 1967 the Government of Israel, in coordination with its military governors of the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, has carried out house demolitions and sealings, exclusively on the property of Palestinian inhabitants, to accomplish three general goals:

1. To force the mass eviction of residents of entire villages or portions of villages. The confiscated land is then appropriated for Israeli residential or recreational use.

2. To collectively punish the family of an individual arrested (though not necessarily convicted) for a security offense.

3. To punish persons who have built homes without the necessary building permit.

The practice of demolition and sealing of houses continued and intensified after the Intifada, which started in December, 1987. If a boy or a girl from the age of 10 or over is caught throwing stones at Israeli soldiers, he or she is brutally beaten and detained. Within 24 hours the house of the family is either sealed or demolished, thereby rendering 7 to 12 members of the family homeless. This inflicts a great hardship and injustice on the family of the so-called offender, because a Palestinian villager often spends a lifetime of savings to build a house for his family which is either sealed or completely demolished by dynamite or bulldozers in five minutes.

House demolitions and sealings violate international law, which, according to Article 158 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, was developed "from the usages established among civilized nations, from the laws of humanity and the dictates of the public conscience." Israel is a signatory to the Geneva Convention, and by virtue of membership in the United Nations, is also bound by the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In its role as belligerent occupier of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights, Israel is required to observe the Fourth Geneva Convention in its treatment of the protected population, their land and possessions.

The general practice of house demolition and sealing violates the following international conventions and treaties:

4TH GENEVA CONVENTION - RELATIVE TO THE PROTECTION OF CIVILIAN PERSONS IN TIME OF WAR (1949)

Article 53:

Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.

HAGUE CONVENTION NUMBER IV - RESPECTING THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND (1907)

Article 23:

In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden: (g) To destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS - ADOPTED AND PROCLAIMED BY UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 217 A (111) OF 12/10/48

Article 17: (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Following are examples of actual homes demolished by the Israeli authorities:

1. Israeli authorities ordered the demolition of the home of Saleh Harbi on Tuesday, October 28, 1980, in al-Jeeb village (between Jerusalem and Ramallah). At 7 A.M. that day Harbi had been called to Ramallah military court. A caravan of several army cars, along with Arab workers requested by the department of public works in Jerusalem to carry out the demolition, went to the site of Harbi's new home. When they reached Harbi's house they evicted his wife and their five children. The Israeli authorities then forced Arab workers who had recently completed building the roof of the house to destroy it using heavy hand tools. Bulldozers were not used to completely demolish the house because of the second house attached to it.

2. Early on November 27,1980, Abed al-Salam Tawfeek a1 Deak answered a summons, received the previous day, to appear at the military headquarters in Ramallah. He was surprised to find that the military authorities had prepared documents, awaiting only his signature, for the demolition of his house. Abed was soon trundled off into a military lorry which, together with a bulldozer and 100 soldiers, headed to his village - Kuff Na'meh.

According to an eyewitness, "At 8 a.m., soldiers put the village under curfew and set up roadblocks, preventing any onlookers from coming close to the area marked for demolition."

A few relatives of Abed and Nabeel Jawdat al-Deak were allowed to attend the scene and used the little time they had to evacuate furniture from the two houses, earmarked by the military.

"They could not move fast enough to salvage even the iron door and windows from Nabeel's house - two rooms and a kitchen is all he had - before the bulldozer came, leaving the home of five people a mass of rubble."

Accompanied by shouts and cries of women and children, the bulldozer moved swiftly to smash two rooms of Abed's house, leaving one small room for his family of five.

Nabeel's sister answered the soldiers' taunting laughs, "You may be able to destroy our house and even our bones if you like, but you will never be able to destroy our spirit and dignity."

3. Two houses were blown up and a third was closed by Israeli troops in Hebron November 3,1981, in revenge for the stabbing of an Israeli settler by an Arab youth, October 31, 1981. The owners of the house were beaten, some had to go to the hospital after the assault - Palestinians accused of being "involved" in the stabbing were injured and imprisoned as a curfew was imposed on the city center.

4. The two story house of Abel Wahab Sami' Isseili in the Wadi Gross district was blown up at 4:00 a.m. The Israelis claim the son of the house, Akram, 17, participated also in the attack on settler David Kopulsky. Akrarn was arrested October 31, and detained in Hebron prison for interrogation.

5. A third house belonging to Moussa Hussein Shawar Tamimi was sealed with cement after the furniture was removed. Tamimi was informed that the house will remain closed until after the interrogation of his son Wa'il, 18, one of 10 who live in the house.

Eyewitnesses told Al Fajr newspaper that one of Moussa's daughters-in-law and his son were beaten by the Israeli soldiers during the process of closing the house. Israeli soldiers broke up a cupboard and, the witnesses say, used the fragments as a club. The troops smashed glass over Moussa's daughter-in-law's head.

6. Israeli soldiers demolished the house of Hassan Al- Kronz of Brueij camp, Gaza, on June 22, 1981, on suspicion that Hassan participated in a military operation in 1980.

His family has not seen Hassan since May 25 (the day before the Israeli soldiers came to arrest him) when he left for his work as a mason at an Israeli construction site.

Hassan's family is from Faluja, a southern Palestinian village destroyed after the 1948 War. His brothers' adjoining houses, the homes of 20 people, were heavily damaged in the bulldozing that completely destroyed Hassan's home.

7. Forty policemen and border guards came to guard the bulldozer that destroyed Suleiman Hussein's house in al- Khawalid near Shafaamr, Galilee, on June 22, 1981.

Village women and Hussein clashed with police trying to fight destruction of the house. (All the other men were out of the village at work.) Fifteen women and Hussein, 22, were injured. Hussein was still in a coma in the hospital, according to Al-Ittihad newspaper, June 25, 198 1. As a result of the destruction process, the central water pipe was broken leaving the village without water.

Hussein's house was demolished on the pretext that it had been built without a permit. No home owner in Al-Khawalid (a village of 750 people) has received a permit. All have applied and all have been turned down.

8. The Israeli court in Jerusalem issued an order to demolish the house of Zaheera Abdul Razzak, 60, a Palestinian widow, and sentenced her to four months in prison and a fine of IS 60,000 because she allegedly did not obtain a licence to build her home. She was arrested and detained. During her detention she was forced to sign an order to demolish her house in return for her release. Zaheera used to live in the old city near the Jewish Quarter but was evicted in 1969.

9. Four residents of Tur village were ordered to demolish their houses for allegedly not building them according to the licences that were given to them by the housing department of the military government.

10. In March 198 1, a number of demolitions were reported in the Gaza Strip. The occupation forces demolished the houses of Mr. Hassan Al Sissi and Mr. Atif Al Nubid in Al Shunjaya, and the house of Mr. Yusuf Al Khur in Gaza. The house of Mr. Mahmoud Al Sharbassi was sealed. In addition 25 shops were closed by military order and a number of Gaza citizens were arrested for alleged activities against the Israeli army in the district.

11. The military authorities closed down 45 shops in Nablus following a bomb attack on an Israeli bus. On 22 June 1981, the authorities destroyed two houses in Al Barbeh refugee camp belonging to Mr. Hassan Ali Al Krons and Mr. Khalil Ahmad Washah, because they were alleged to have given shelter to a member of Al Fatah. It was also reported that 72 people were made homeless in Jabaliya refugee camp after five houses had been destroyed on 17 May 198 1 because "they have sons under detention and interrogation for military activities." It was subsequently reported that the five families were evicted from the land on which the houses were built. UNRWA complained to the Israeli Ministry for Foreign Affairs about demolitions that had taken place in Gaza shortly before, leaving a total of 76 persons homeless. The demolitions were ordered because relatives were suspected of subversive activities (Jerusalem Post, 8 July, 1981.)

12. Six houses in the Aks quarter of Jabaliyarefugee camp were demolished in July, 198 1, without previous notice to the inhabitants. One house, according to the sources, was demolished as a punishment, because a woman participated in stone-throwing at soldiers. As a result of the demolition some 40 persons were rendered homeless.

13. On November 16, 1981, Israeli troops blew up the homes of three Palestinian families of Arab teenagers suspected of having thrown fire bombs at mobile patrols in the Bethlehem area.

The demolished homes were in Beit Sahour, a suburb of Bethlehem. Local Arabs said that 29 people had been made homeless by the action.

The Israeli radio said it was the first time so severe a punishment had been imposed for such offenses. No one was hurt in the fire bomb attacks.

14. Yasir Hussein Muhammed Zaidat was arrested on September 16, 1980, for alleged membership in the Palestinian commando cell that was responsible for the operation in front of the Hadassah building in Hebron on May 2, which left six Israeli settlers killed and others wounded. Soon after Zaidat's arrest, his family's house in Beni Na'im was destroyed by the Israeli authorities and several close family members were also arrested. These were his mother, Fatmeh, 65, his father Hussein, 80, his pregnant sister, Fatmeh, and her husband Ali Ahmed Zaidat.

15. Nasr Abu Aita, 19, a student at Bir Zeit University, was beaten in his town Beit Sahour, for throwing stones at army vehicles. The house of his family was demolished the following day. When Israeli soldiers came to demolish the house they tied Nasr's hands and feet with a rope and left him in the house while dynamiting it. His mother, Miriam Abu Aita, said: "When the soldiers forced us to leave the house. I realized Nasr was not among us."

Forcing her way back into the house, she came across Nasr in the guest room. "1 unbound him and then I addressed the officer in a loud voice, 'Why did you tie him? Do you want to kill him?' 'He has bombs,' the officer replied."

Nasr told Al Fajr that he was bound and gagged by the troops "because I protested against the soldiers throwing our furniture around.They began to kick and hit me with their fists, feet and gun butts; then they tied me with nylon wires and gagged my mouth. I remained in the guest room until my mother saved me."

Asked what he thought the soldiers' intention was, Nasr replied, "They really wanted to kill me and then they pretended it was a mistake."

BABY FREEZES TO DEATH AFTER SOLDIERS EVICT FAMILY

A two and a half month old infant froze to death in his mother's arms during the family's forced eviction from their desert home by Israeli military forces on December 17, 1981. Early in the morning an armed force of the Nature Reserve's Green Patrol accompanied by border guards appeared at Wadi Rmelat, the site of the tent of the Muhammad al-Qasher family, and ordered the women and children to vacate the place immediately. They then started to load the family's goats into their vehicles and cut the guide ropes of the tent. During the evacuation process one woman who was holding her new-born baby begged an officer to allow her to remain with a neighbor to avoid having the baby exposed to the cold. But the officer refused and she was forced into the "Green Patrol" car. On the way to the place where the family was to be transferred, the mother realized the baby had died.

 

HOUSES DEMOLISHED 1967-1980 (1)

The total number of houses demolished between 1967 and 1980 was 1,259; the year with the highest number of demolitions was 1969, followed by 197 1. The following table shows the number of Palestinian houses demolished by the Israeli authorities according to a report by the Arab Studies Society, Jerusalem:

Year	The West Bank	East Jerusalem	Gaza and Sinai	Total
1967	51	64	5	130
1968	59	66	5	140
1969	214	73	14	301
1970	97	94	-	191
1971	104	124	1	231
1972	13	22	-	35
1973	24	10	-	34
1974	34	26	1	61
1975	46	31	-	77
1976	13	8	3	24
1977	1	-	-	1
1978	2	-	-	2
1979	5	3	-	8
1980	20	4	-	24
Total	683	525	28	1,236

 

HOUSES DEMOLISHED 1982-1986 (2)

The following figures are taken from a report by Amnesty International in 1987:

	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
Sealed	8	13	3	28	36
Demolished	10	3	-	23	41
Total Affected Houses	18	28	3	51	77	171

The majority of reported house demolitions and sealings are carried out by the Israeli authorities as a form of collective punishment against the families of persons accused of security offenses. In many cases, the demolition or sealing is carried out before formal charges are brought. The circumstances surrounding the execution of the order are also usually quite inhumane. The families are rarely given prior notice, and must attempt to remove personal affects and furniture within a few minutes as the bulldozers and blow-torches stand ready. Occasionally, when prior notice is given, or the families suspect that they may be subject to such measures, they can obtain restraining orders from the court. If a restraining order is obtained, the sealing or demolition may be delayed until after the court proceedings against the accused. The Israeli Courts, however, have not challenged the practice itself, which violates international law.

Of the 171 cases of sealing or demolition reported between 1982 and 1986, 139 were collective punishment actions. 83 houses were demolished and 88 sealed or partially sealed. Demolitions and sealings as collective punishments are under the direct order of the Ministry of Defense.

A second pretext for the demolitions is licensing or zoning violation. Most Palestinian villages and towns do not have "approved" zoning plans, or the plans that exist have been developed to serve Jewish interests and to severely restrict development and expansion of Palestinian areas. Inside the Green Line, thousands of Palestinian homes have been built without a license, an issue recently highlighted by the demolition of homes in northern Bedouin settlements whose history dates back to Mandatory times. In the West Bank and Gaza, licenses for building are generally available, for a price, only from mukhtars and other functionaries working for the Israeli government. Most Palestinians are not willing to collaborate with the occupation authorities, and thus cannot obtain building licenses.

There were 27 houses reported demolished and 1 mosque sealed for failure to obtain a license during the five-year period. Another structure was demolished for an alleged zoning violation. The number reported is probably only a small portion of the actual number demolished or sealed under this pretext. While reporting on collective punishment demolitions and sealings is fairly comprehensive, until 1986 no local agency systematically documented demolitions and sealings for other pretexts.

Other pretexts were used to demolish houses during this period. One house was demolished in 1982 for being in an area declared a military zone. Another house was demolished in 1986 for being situated under an archaeological site. The following is a detailed list of house demolitions and sealings taken from the 1987 Amnesty International Report on the demolition and sealing of houses in Israel and the occupied territories (3):

1 February 1982
The house of Ibrahim Fad1 Haber of Hebron was sealed for political reasons. He was accused of membership in an illegal organization.

1 February 1982
The house of Harndi Wazwaz of Hebron was sealed for political reasons. He was accused of membership in an illegal organization.

2 February 1982
The house of Kaamel Tabanjeh in Qatanna was sealed for political reasons. He was accused of opening fire on an Israeli bus.

2 May 1982
The house of Mahmud Ahmad Hamamreh in Husan was sealed for political reasons. For one and a half years he has lived in two tents, but now he lives in a house built with the help of others.

2 May 1982
The house of Aziz Abdul Sabatin in Husan was sealed for political reasons. He and his family lived for 1 year and a half in tents, but they now live in storerooms built with the help of others.

18 May 1982
The house of Sliman Tawfiq in Breij Refugee Camp was demolished for political reasons. Tawfiq was killed during a Land Day Memorial.

2 July 1982
The house of Ali Mohammad Mubarak in Freidis was demolished for political reasons. He was accused of participating in the killing of a Department of Archaeology employee.

9 August 1982
The house of Ahmad Daoud Khalil in Aida Refugee Camp was demolished for political reasons. He was accused of security offenses.

9 August 1982
The house of Hamid Abdul Ahmad Qaraqe in Aida Refugee Camp was demolished for political reasons. His son, Issa, was accused of throwing a molotov cocktail at an Israeli military bus. The military government refused to allow them to rebuild the house in its original location.

17 August 1982
The house of Ali Ahmad in Bitunya was sealed for political reasons.

18 October 1982
The house of Latif Abdul Omar in Tulkarm was sealed for political reasons. His son was accused of security offenses.

27 October 1982
The house of Mahmud Kayed Salimi in Idna was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed.

27 October 1982
The house of Ahmad Majed Salimi in Idna was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed.

7 November 1982
The house of Mustafa Yusif Mansur in Deir Istya was demolished on the grounds that it was in a military zone.

21 November 1982
The house of Issa Bazbaz in Qalandiya Refugee Camp was partially demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The two rooms had been added to a one room house.

25 November 1982
The house of Sliman Salem Khatib in Hizma was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed.

5 December 1982
The house of Ali Omar Hamclan in Zawiya was sealed for political reasons. He was accused of security offenses.

23 February 1983
The house of Nathmi Mohammed Nassar was demolished in Zawiya for political reasons. He was accused of security offenses.

1 March 1983
The house of Saleh Mohammad Abu Sufyan was sealed in Dhahariyya. The house was sealed because his son Hayel was accused of security offenses. The family now rents a house.

1 March 1983
The house of Awad Mohammad Umreidat in Dhahariyya was sealed. His son Atif was accused of manslaughter. A suit was filed to reopen the house, but in vain.

12 April 1983
The house of Hasan Mohammad Makharzeh in Dhahariyya was sealed. His son Hasan was accused of manslaughter..A suit was filed to open the house, but in vain.

12 April 1983
The house of Badawi Sbeih in Dhahariyya was sealed. His son Mohammad was accused of manslaughter. A suit was filed to reopen the house, but in vain.

12 April 1983
The house of Salim Ali Umreidat in Dhahariyya was sealed. His son Subhi was accused of manslaughter. A suit was filed to reopen the house, but in vain.

1 June 1983
The house of Atiyyeh Ibrahim Ahmad in Deir Balah was demolished. He was accused of illegal arms action./ep

1 June 1983
The house of Rida Abdul Nafeth Behis in Magahzi Refugee Camp was demolished. He was accused of armed activity.

26 June 1983
The house of Haj Rahim Abdul Abbas Ahmad in Arabah was sealed. His son Raed was accused of security offenses.

21 July 1983
The house of Abd Mahmud Barghute in Kafr Ein was Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem demolished for political reasons. Bulldozers demolished the house,

21 July 1983
The house of Salleh Rifai was demolished for political reasons. Bulldozers demolished the house.

21 July 1983
The house of Saleh Yusif Rifai in Kafr Ein was demolished for political reasons. Bulldozers demolished the house.

3 October 1983
The house of Mohammad Ahmad Ajanneh in Aida Refugee Camp was demolished. His two sons, Adnan and Khaled were accused of security offenses.

3 October 1983
The house of Rahman Abdul Mohammad Azzah in Aida Refugee Camp was sealed. His son Nidal was accused of security offenses.

5 October 1983
The house of Mohammad Tareq Othman in Kafr Malek was sealed with cement. He was accused of killing someone.

5 October 1983
The house of Arif Sliman in Kafr Malek was sealed with cement. He was accused of killing someone.

11 December 1983
The house of Mohammad Mahmud Nuh Ashur in Hebron was sealed. He was accused of helping in transporting Palestinian fighters. The lawyer, Felicia Langer, petitioned to have the house reopened, but in vain.

11 December 1983
The house of Rateb Ramadan Duweik in Ein Qamah was sealed. His son was accused of security offenses. The family filed suit to have the house reopened, but in vain.

12 December 1983
The house of Rahman Abdul Mohammad Sarbal in Hebron was sealed. His son was accused of assassinating a settler. The family now lives in a rented house.

25 December 1983
The house of Mahmud Rajab Sarsur in Hebron was demolished. His son Kayed was accused of assisting in the murder of a settler. The family filed a suit to rebuild the house, which was rejected, and they then asked for a building permit, which was also rejected.

26 December 1983
The house of Kamal Moharnmad Gheith in Hebron was sealed. His son Fayez was accused of security offenses. The family filed a suit to reopen the house, and succeeded in opening all but one room.

26 December 1983
The house of Ali Hasan Mheisen in Zatarah was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed.

1 February 1984
The house of Yusif Mohammad Nofal in Qaliqilya was partially sealed. His son Nabil was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in the rest of the house.

1 February 1984
The house of Nofal Hashem Saleh in Qaliqilya was sealed. His son Abdul Rahman was accused of security offenses. He asked the military government to reopen one room, and when they refused, he opened it himself, after which the authorities resealed it.

16 February 1984
The house of Salim Salah Ju-beh in Hebron was sealed. His son, Saleh, was accused of security offenses. A suit was filed, and they succeeded in opening all but one room.

1 May 1985
The house of Rahim Abdul Mohammad Abu Hamdah in Habla was partially sealed. The son Husam is accused of security offenses. The family now lives in the rest of the house. 10 people were displaced.

1 May 1985
The house of Abdul Razeq Mohammad Othman Kharub in Habla was partially sealed. The son Basem is accused of security offenses. The family now lives in the rest of the house. 9 people were displaced.

1 May 1985
The house of Zuheir Ali Abdul Rahim Merdawi in Habla was partially sealed. The son Nabil is accused of security offenses. The family now lives in the rest of the house. 6 people were displaced.

24 May 1985
The house of Latifeh Atwa Darwish in Saffa was demolished for political reasons. 4 people were displaced.

24 May 1985
The house of Zuheira Hilal in Saffa was demolished. Her two sons, Abdul Rahman and Said, were accused of security offenses. 12 people were displaced,

24 May 1985
The house of Abdul Fattah Mohammad Naser of Saffa was demolished. The son Ahmad was accused of security offenses. 11 people were displaced.

24 May 1985
The house of Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammad Naser of Saffa was demolished for political reasons. 9 people were displaced.

24 May 1985
The house of Mahmud Ali Ahmad Shami of Beit Ur Tahta was demolished for political reasons. 11 people were displaced.

8 July 1985
The house of Mustafa Amer Mohammad Lafi Ghaneimat of Surif was demolished for political reasons. The family now live with their neighbors. 2 people were displaced.

8 July 1985
The house of Mahmud Mohammad Ghneimat of Surif was demolished for political reasons. His son Ziyad committed security offenses. 3 people were displaced.

27 July 1985
The house of Jamal Mahmud Abdallah Bani Hasan of Arrabuna was demolished. His son Naser, was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a relative's house, under very bad condition. 9 people were displaced.

27 July 1985
The house of Hazza Mohammad Hazza Sadi of Arrabuna Demolition and Sealing of Palestinian Homes 579 was demolished. The family now lives in a rented house, under very bad conditions. 5 people were displaced.

15 August 1985
The house of Munir Abbas Abu Ras of Ein Beit il Ma Refugee Camp was sealed. The son Suheil was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a room in very bad conditions. 11 people were displaced.

15 August 1985
The house of Amin Mohammad Namrutie of Ein Beit il Ma Refugee Camp was sealed. The son Khaled was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in Rujib village, with another family. 11 people were displaced.

15 August 1985
The house of Khaled Mohammad Qatuni of Ein Beit il Ma Refugee Camp was sealed. The son Ahmad committed security offenses. The family now lives with relatives. 2 people were displaced.

15 August 1985
The house of Dhib Mohammad Saleh Shattawi of Ein Beit il Ma Refugee Camp was sealed. The son Ghassan was accused of security offenses. 14 people were displaced. The family filed suit to reopen the house and won.

22 August 1985
The house of Abdallah Mustafa Dhawabah of Anabta was demolished. His son, Sa'd, was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a relative's house. 7 people were displaced.

22 August 1985
The house of Ahmad Abdul Karim Kan'an of Anabta was demolished. His son, Khaled was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in two rooms made of cement built near the demolished house. 7 people were displaced.

22 August 1985
The house of Ahmad Hussein Nimri of Anabta was sealed. His son Tareq was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a house built near the sealed house. 20 people have been displaced.

26 September 1985
The house of Badawi Mohammad Said Jaber of Hebron was demolished. His son Hani was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a rented house in Tur. 21 people have been displaced.

8 October 1985
The house of Izziyyeh Abd Ayesh of Surif was demolished. The house was first sealed in July, then demolished in October. Her son Mohammad was killed in an armed clash with Israeli soldiers. The family now lives in her father's house. 10 people have been displaced.

8 October 1985
The house of Ahmad Mustafa Ghneimat of Surif was demolished because of security offenses attributed to his son Mahmud who was killed in an armed clash. 6 people were displaced.

8 October 1985
The house of Mohammad Shihadeh Khalayfeh of Samu was demolished. His son Ali, who died in an armed clash with Israeli soldiers, was accused of security offenses. The family's lawyer, Leah Tsemel filed a suit torebuild the house. 2 people were displaced.

8 October 1985
The house of Mohammad Ahmad Abdul Hamid Tos of Jab'ah was demolished for political reasons. The family now lives in a rented house. 25 persons were displaced.

8 October 1985
The house of Ahmad Ali Udwan of Surif was demolished because of security offenses attributed to his son Mohammed who died in an armed clash. The family now lives in one room of Ahmad's brother's house. 6 persons were displaced.

26 October 1985
The house of Mohammad Musa Abu Sneid of Yatta was demolished. The son Issa was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a cave. 8 people were displaced.

26 October 1985
The house of Ahmad Mahmud Ahmad Najjar of Yatta was demolished for political reasons. The family now lives with relatives. 8 people were displaced.

5 November 1985
The house of Ghaleb Hasan Abdul Jawad Abu Hadwan of Shufat Refugee Camp was sealed for political reasons. 8 people were displaced.

5 November 1985
The house of Mohammad Hasan Abdul Jawad Abu Hadwan of Ram was sealed for political reasons. 1 1 people were displaced.

18 November 1985
The house of Abdallah Abd Jaradat of Sair was sealed. His son, Musa, was accused of security offenses. The family now lives with relatives. 4 people were displaced.

18 November 1985
The house of Jihad E'meir Amer Jaradat of Sair was sealed. The family now lives in a rented room. The lawyer Ali Ghuzlanreceived no reply to his petition to reopen the house. 7 people were displaced.

18 November 1985
The house of Hamed Aql Shalaldeh of Sair was sealed. The son Hussein was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a relative's house. The lawyer Awni Habash filed a suit to reopen the house, in vain. 4 people were displaced.

26 November 1985
The house of Kame1 Shihadeh Abu Kheit of Askar Refugee Camp was partially sealed. His son Shihadeh was accused of security offenses. 9 people were displaced.

26 November 1985
The house of Mahmud Rashad Abu Kishek of Askar Refugee Camp was sealed. His son, Jamal, was accused of security offenses. 10 people were displaced.

26 November 1985
The house of Majed Abdul Qader Abu Kishek of Askar Refugee Camp was partially sealed for political reasons. 6 people were displaced.

26 November 1985
The house of Ismai'il Mohammad Rummaneh of Askar 580 Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem Refugee camp was sealed. His son, Khaled, was accused of security offenses. 8 people were displaced.

19 December 1985
The house of Fakhri Fahd Musa Bani S'idan of Jenin Refugee Camp was sealed. His son Ala'a Fahd was accused of security offenses. The family now lives on the second floor of the same building.

19 December 1985
The house of Mohammad Abd Yusif Damaj of Jenin Refugee Camp was sealed. His brother Ahmad was accused of security offenses. The family now live with their father and mother. 4 people were displaced.

23 December 1985
The house of Ibrahim Abdallah Dhib of Yabad was partially sealed. The son Bilal was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in the rest of the house.

26 December 1985
The house of Sarah Mohammad Atiyyeh of Bethlehem was sealed. Her son, Ahmad Hamidan, was accused of security offenses. 8 people were displaced.

26 December 1985
The house of Imad Yusif Hasan Da'ameh of Bethlehem was sealed for political reasons. 12 people were displaced.

26 December 1985
The house of Yiha Ibrahim Abdul Hafith Da'ameh of Dheisheh Refugee Camp was sealed for political reasons. 4 people were displaced.

26 December 1985
The house of Abdul Fattah Issa Ali Faraj of Dheisheh Refugee Camp was sealed for political reasons. 4 persons were displaced. 26 December 1985 The house of Jamil Raba'a of Bethlehem was sealed. His two sons, Tawfiq and Abdallah, were accused of security offenses. 16 persons were displaced.

30 December 1985
The house of Ahmad Sliman Abu Keifeh of Fawwar Refugee Camp was demolished. The son Khaled was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in an animal shelter. 10 people were displaced.

30 December 1985
The house of Ahmad Abdul Wahhab Anani of Fawwar Refugee Camp was demolished. The son Hasan was accused of security offenses. The family now lives in a relative's house. 10 people were displaced.

30 December 1985
The house of Faisal Abdul Jabbar Ahmad of Fawwar Refugee Camp was demolished for political reasons. The family now lives in an animal shelter. 5 people were displaced.

22 January 1986
The house of Tawfiq Abdallah Haj Mohammad of Jlud was demolished. His son Ahmad (20) was accused of security offenses. 9 people were displaced.

4 February 1986
The house of Ali Mohammad Asi of Bireh was partially sealed. Their 13 year old son, Iyad, was accused of security offenses.

4 February 1986
The house of Farraj Jaddu Aqra of Amari Refugee Camp was partially sealed. Their 15 year old son was accused of security offenses. 8 people were displaced.

4 February 1986
The house of Mohammad Sliman Haj of Bireh was partially sealed. Their 14 year old son, Hossam, was accused of security offenses. 10 people were displaced.

4 February 1986
The house of Mohamrnad Yusif Naji of Amari Refugee Camp was partially sealed. Their 12 year old son, Naser, was accused of security offenses. 5 people were displaced.

6 March 1986
The house of Kame1 Mohammed Ahrnad of Dhannaba was partially sealed. Their son, Abdallah (19), was accused of security offenses. 6 persons were displaced.

6 March 1986
The house of Sharif Mohammad Said Jamus of Dhannaba was partially sealed. Their son, Abdul Naser (20) was accused of security offenses. 4 persons were displaced.

6 March 1986
The house of Fathi Ahmad Mahdawi of Shweikeh was sealed. Their son Ahmad (201, was accused of security offenses. 6 people were displaced.

9 March 1986
The house of Seif Eddin Issa Shurafa of Shweikeh was partially sealed. Their son, Omar (19), was accused of security offenses. 8 people were displaced.

16 March 1986
The house of Abbas Khadr Khamis Sliman of Beit Ur Tahta was demolished for political reasons. 7 people were displaced.

15 April 1986
The house of Majed Abdallah Said Daghlas of Burqa was demolished for political reasons. 5 people were displaced./ep

20 May 1986
The house of Salim Tawfiq Salim Shihadeh of Bitunya was demolished for political reasons. 6 persons were displaced.

29 May 1986
The house of Tawfiq Ibrahim Mohammad Abdallah of Deir Ballut was demolished. He and his wife Larnya were accused of killing an Israeli soldier. 12 people were displaced.

29 May 1986
The house of Mustafa Mohammad Musa Qarush of Deir Ballut was demolished. He and his wife Zahra were accused of killing an Israeli soldier. 12 persons were displaced.

13 June 1986
The house of Fawwaz Mahmud Mohammed Bashir of Jerusalem was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The house was in the Mukabber quarter. 6 persons were displaced.

16 June 1986
The house of Abdul Rahman Mohammad Abu Su'ud of Rafidiya was demolished. His son was accused of killing a collaborator. The family was not informed of the demolition order. 7 persons were displaced.

16 June 1986
The house of As'ad Sadeq Abu Su'ud of Rafidiya was demolished. His son was accused of killing a collaborator. The family was not informed of the demolition order. 17 persons were displaced.

24 June 1986
The house of Rafat Said Abdul Fattah Ighbarieyeh of Um a1 Fahm was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The house is only one of 1200 unlicensed houses in Um a1 Fahm. 6 persons were displaced.

30 June 1986
The house of Naser Abu Seif of Yafa was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The demolition is part of a general harassment of the Bedouins of Yafa.

1 July 1986
The house of Halimah Hasan Abdul Nabiyy of Sharafat was demolished while she was in the hospital. She had refused for many years to evacuate her home which was in the middle of the Jewish Gilo settlement.

7 July 1986
The house of Khamis Mohammad Kleib of Arab Sawa'ed was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The demolition is part of a campaign by Israeli authorities to evacuate the Kammaneh people. The house was 50 sq. metres in size.

7 July 1986
The house of Wasem Shafiq Kleib of Arab Sawa'ed was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The house was 100 sq. metres in size. The Israeli authorities are attempting to evacuate the Kammaneh people.

24 July 1986
The house of Mahmud Ali Dhib N'eirat of Maythalun was demolished for political reasons. 10 people were displaced.

24 July 1986
The house of Othman Mohammad N'eirat of Maythalun was sealed for political reasons. 27 people were displaced.

4 August 1986
Hara' Mosque in Jabalya Refugee Camp was sealed on the grounds that it was unlicensed.

15 August 1986
The house of Saleh Mohammad Yusif Hreiz of Deir Abu Mashal was demolished. He was accused of committing hostile acts against the occupation. The house had two storeys. 10 persons were displaced.

20 August 1986
The house of Abdallah Mustafa Dhawabeh of Anabta was demolished. The owner's son was accused of a security offense. 6 people were displaced.

20 August 1986
The house of Aysheh Abdallah Nummari of Anabta was sealed. Her husband's son was accused of security offenses. Her husband did not sign the demolition order, and therefore, it was sealed. 10 persons were displaced.

21 August 1986
The house of Ahmad Odeh Hamamreh of Husan was sealed. His son, Yaser (20), was accused of membership in an illegal organization and of placing bombs. The house was sealed before the court order was issued. 12 people were displaced.

21 August 1986
The house of Hamid Salem Hamamreh of Husan was sealed. His son, Radwan (1 6), was accused of membership in an illegal organization and of placing bombs. The house was sealed before the court order was issued. 12 people were displaced.

24 August 1986
The house of Abdul Hadi Abdul Ramaha of Jalazon Refugee Camp was partially sealed. His son was accused of injuring 6 Israelis. The room was sealed before a court order was issued. 10 people were displaced.

24 August 1986
The house of Musa Abdul Fattah Sa'dah of Halhul was partially sealed. His son was accused of security offenses. 8 people were displaced.

24 August 1986
The house of Rashad Hamed Sultan of Hebron was partially sealed. His son was accused of security offenses. 7 people were displaced.

25 August 1986
The house of Kathem Rushdi Bakhtyan of Ram was sealed. His son was accused of security offenses. 20 people were displaced.

25 August 1986
The house of Hamdan Hamad Yusif Hussein of Jalazon Refugee Camp was partially sealed. His son was accused of injuring 6 Israelis. The room was sealed before a court order was issued. 6 persons were displaced.

25 August 1986
The house of Sa'ud Ayed of Hizma was partially sealed. The son was accused of security offenses. The father signed the sealing order without understanding its contents.

26 August 1986
The house of Ahmad Rida Bazyan was partially sealed. The son was accused of membership in the PLO. The family was given 20 minutes to evacuate the room. 12 people were displaced.

26 August 1986
The house of Salem Sliman Khatib was partially sealed. His son Ahmad (16) was arrested for activity hostile to the occupation. The room was sealed before a court order was issued. 10 people were displaced.

27 August 1986
The house of Khaled Abu Shukr of Killet Manna' was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. 3 people were displaced.

28 August 1986
The house of Izzat Ibrahim Abu Munshar of Dura was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. A stone wall was also demolished. 28 August 1986 The house of Mohammed Khalil Amad Rib'i of Shufat Refugee Camp was partially sealed. His son, Nabil, was accused of PLO membership and imprisoned. The sealing took place before an order was issued. 8 people were displaced.

1 September 1986
The Kammaneh Mosque in Kammaneh was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed.

1 September 1986
The house of Jamal Ahmad Mahmud Najjar of Yatta was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. 10 persons were displaced.

4 September 1986
The house of Saleh Ali Ahmad Jandal of Jerusalem was sealed for political reasons. 10 people were displaced.

24 September 1986
The house of Ahmad Mohammad Sarhan of Silwan was demolished on the grounds of a zoning violation.

24 September 1986
The house of Othman Abdul Qader Shqeir of Bitunya was demolished on the grounds that it was on an archaeological site. 8 people were displaced.

26 October 1986
The house of Ahmad Mahmud Najjar of Yatta was demolished for political reasons. 10 people were displaced.

1 November 1986
The house of Sa'id Kame1 Sa'id Khatib of Qalandya Refugee Camp was sealed for political reasons. 24 people were displaced.

15 November 1986
The house of Musa Hussein Sawar of Hebron was sealed. His son was accused of membership in a hostile organization. 5 people were displaced.

24 November 1986
The house of Walid Khaled Mahmud Saleh of Kammaneh was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. 2 people were displaced.

12 December 1986
The house of Masib Anwar Ammash of Jisr Azzarqa' was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed and that it was in an industrial zone. 5 people were displaced.

17 December 1986
The house of Jamileh Nimr Ibrahim Abu Ni'meh of Abu Dis was demolished. Her son was alleged to have been involved in a military operation. 4 people were displaced.

19 December 1986
The house of Ata Nirnr Ali Hajjaj of Beit Rima was partially sealed. His son was accused of killing a soldier. 8 people were displaced.

21 December 1986
The house of Amineh Amin Abdul Rahman Sanduqa of Jerusalem was sealed for political reasons. 25 people were displaced.

22 December 1986
The house of Ali Ismail Sliman Khaldi of Khawaled was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The demolitions are part o

22 December 1986
The house of Ismail Sliman Khaldi of Khawaled was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The demolitions are part of an attempt to relocate the residents. 5 people were displaced.

22 December 1986
The house of Mahmud Mustafa Khaldi of Khawaled was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The demolitions are part of a plan to relocate the residents who have lived on the site for over 100 years. 8 people were displaced.

22 December 1986
The house of Mohammad Ismail Sliman Khaldi of Khawaled was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The demolitions are part of a plan to relocate the residents and expand Jewish settlement. 2 people were displaced.

22 December 1986
The house of Sliman Ismail Khaldi of Khawaled was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The demolitions are part of a plan to relocate the residents and to expand Jewish settlement in the area. 6 persons were displaced.

25 December 1986
The house of Mohammad Ahmad I'layyan Ali of Qalandya Refugee Camp was partially sealed. His son, Ahmad, 21 years old, was accused of participating in military activity. 5 people were displaced.

25 December 1986
The house of Ahmad Ibrahim Khader Assaf of Qalandya Refugee Camp was partially sealed. The son, Khaled (18), was accused of military activity. 5 people were displaced.

25 December 1986
The house of Mahmud Nafe Ahmad Hammad of Qalandya Refugee Camp was sealed. His son was accused of participating in military activity. 1 1 persons were displaced.

25 December 1986
The house of Issa Abdul Rahman Khaldi of Jalazon Refugee Camp was sealed. His son was accused of security violations. The owner did not receive a sealing order. 14 people were displaced.

25 December 1986
The house of Issa Hashem Mughrabi of Dura Qare was partially sealed. On 10 November 1986, his son Sufyan was sentenced to 15 years, for security violations. 10 people were displaced.

25 December 1986
The house of Ali Mustafa Dhib Sharakeh of Jalazon Refugee Camp was sealed. His son was accused of security violations. The owner did not receive a sealing order. 11 people were displaced. 25 December 1986 The house of Musa Abdul Latif Wahdan of Jalazon Refugee Camp was partially sealed. The son was accused of security violations, but the roo

27 December 1986
The house of Issa Mohammad Ahmad (Barkandi) Hamamdeh of Yatta was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. 7 people were displaced.

27 December 1986
The house of Said Mohammad Shihadeh Hamamdeh of Yatta was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. 8 people were displaced.

28 December 1986
The Hisma Mosque of Hizma was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The mosque building, registered in the name of Dhiyab Sliman Abu Khalaf, was 300 sq. meters in area.

28 December 1986
The house of Heijar Khalil Abdul Ganiy Salmin of Samu was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. The owner, a widow, and her children have been forced to live in a nearby mud house. 5 people were displaced.

28 December 1986
The house of Abdul Rauf Abdul Halim Hasan Wazwaz of Aqbeh Injiliyeh was demolished on the grounds that it was unlicensed. 9 people were displaced.

REPORT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH EDUCATION FOUNDATION

In its 1986 Report, the Human Rights Research Education Foundation published notes of its field workers in the occupied territories, excerpts of which follow:

"The 1985 Christmas season left little room for celebration for six families of the city of Bethlehem and nearby Dheisheh refugee camp whose homes were sealed by the Israeli military on December 26. About 150 soldiers began their rampage at 4.00 p.m. that day, moving from one house to the next, giving each family about ten minutes to remove themselves and their belongings before their houses were sealed. The soldiers damaged furniture as they hurled it out of the houses. They smashed glass items, destroyed tiles, basins and other permanent house fixtures. They hit some of those who protested their actions.. When the soldiers had completed the house sealings, as ordered by the Military Governor, some time after 2.30 a.m., over fifty persons had been left homeless. "Most of the family members found temporary refuge with relatives and neighbors. Of the belongings which they were able to rescue from their homes, many were damaged by the winter rains and the families suffered from a severe shortage of clothes. One family received two tents from the Red Cross and a third from a local organization to house the sixteen persons who had once lived in their eight room house. The two cases in the refugee camp were particularly extreme. The arrest of one left his seventy five year old mother, his wife and their small child without any source of income. The sealing of their home has forced them to be dependent on their neighbors for both livelihood and shelter, a burden not easily absorbed by most families in refugee camps, having once already lost everything they own. The arrest of another in the camp forced his wife and two children, aged 1 112 and 4, to share their neighbor's one room home until the Red Cross provided them with a tent." 'Twenty members of a single family from the village of Yatta in the Hebron area spent the past winter in a cave following the demolition of their home." "One woman, whose home was about to be demolished, asked 'how can they demolish the whole house?'. 'That's how they are', her neighbor replied. 'It's against the law (i.e. international law), but there is no one to stop them."'

DEMOLITIONS AND SEALINGS DURING THE INTIFADA

The Zionists have used the demolition and sealing of houses as a form of collective punishment intended to break the spirit of the Intifada. The DataBase Project on Palestinian Human Rights reported:

Collective punishment was a favorite technique of Nazi Germany in occupied territories during World War 11. It is also a favorite technique of the Israeli government against Palestinians. In effect since the occupation began, this technique is applied on a massive scale during the Intifada. Aside from being inherently unfair, such policies and practices which punish groups of people indiscriminately as a method of collective repression are violations of Articles 33 and 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Hague Regulations as well as international humanitarian law.

Perhaps the worst form of collective punishment practiced by Israeli military authorities is thedeliberate dynamiting and bulldozing of family homes. This harsh action against innocent Palestinians has been taken by the Israeli army since 1967 to punish whole families for the suspected "security crimes" of one family member. But during 1988, house demolitions justified on the pretext that homes were built without a military-issued license (routinely denied to Palestinians since 1967) have been dramatically accelerated, effectively punishing individual families and whole villages during the Intifada. The contents of a house, nearby farm animals, orchards and grape arbors, as well as neighbors' houses are often destroyed by the force of the blasts used by the Israeli army in areas of high population concentration.

Demolitions are carried out suddenly and often at night, by a force of hundreds of soldiers as a major military operation. The village is curfewed and the only warning targeted families receive is a banging on the door by soldiers, shouting for the family members to leave the house. At best twenty minutes is allowed to empty the house of its contents before e charges are set or the bulldozer begins its destructive work.

During the Intifada, up to March 1,1990, 1,228 Palestinian homes have been demolished and 164 sealed, displacing more than 14,000 Palestinians. These families are given small emergency tents by international relief organizations and in effect become newly impoverished refugees, when they had so recently been home owners. This destruction of property without any recourse is most shocking in view of the fact that the Israeli authorities take no responsibility for the displaced families, condemning them to an unimagined level of poverty and hardship.

In rural areas especially, Palestinian dwellings house extended families. The family house is usually built of solid stone by hand over a period of years. The destruction of such homes and their contents represents a great emotional and financial loss in terms of labor, materials and life investment. Such homes pass from generation to generation. Frequently they have been in the same family for over 100 years, many are older. Thus house demolition is also the destruction of a historic and cultural heritage. That too seems to be a goal of Israeli occupation: the eradication of Palestinian culture and heritage. Thus depopulation by deportation, internal removal, and population transfer by direct and indirect coercive means, such as house demolition, is part of the deliberate Israeli plan to transfer whatever is left of Palestine into an exclusive Jewish state.

The Bedouin hamlet of Qissan near Bethlehem was almost completely wiped out after the destruction of 30 houses and sheds for grazing animals on October 27, 1988. A centuries old traditional grazing areaof the tribe was confiscated by the Israeli authorities to make way for new Israeli settlements needed to accommodate new settlers andexpanding urbanization. Despite verbal promises to the contrary, most of the buildings in the hamlet were destroyed - without any measure of compensation, and the inhabitants routed.

This example brings to the fore the important shift in the demolition policy which focuses on bureaucratic justification, citing planning and zoning laws which have effectively prevented expansion and new building on Palestinian land, and allotted ever larger areas to "military zones" and Israeli settlement expansion. The policy not only punishes and disempowers Palestinian homeowners, but furthers Israeli expansionism as well.

One fourth of the demolitions which have occurred since the beginning of the Intifada have been justified "for security reasons." Contrary to the previous use of this policy in which the homes of confessed or convicted participants in disturbances have been destroyed, more and more homes of suspects, detainees, and uninvolved people have been destroyed without opportunity to appeal to legal procedures.

In response to the death of a young Israeli girl, Tirza Porat in Beita, fifteen homes were demolished, some of them after it had come to light that in fact she had been killed by an Israeli settler. On the day of the incident itself, April 6, five houses were immediately blown up after the army's arrival in the village. These demolitions were filmed live by Israeli TV. When Amram Mitzna, the Central Commander, was asked at the site whether a direct link had been established between the killing and injuries and the families whose homes had been destroyed, he replied, "No," but that he knew stones had been thrown from those houses. More than one of the 15 homes demolished in the village of Beita belonged to villagers who actively protected the Israeli children from harm. The Israelis do admit making a "mistake" in one of these cases and have offered $22,500 in compensation.

In retaliation for an attack on a collaborator's house and car on March 5, 1988, the Israeli army demolished three houses on the night of March 10 without any warning. Tens of people were left homeless and residents were not allowed to remove any money, clothes or even false teeth before the homes were destroyed.

In a letter to Defense Minister Rabin, Israeli attorney FeliciaLanger protested theuse of demolition inBidyavillage on that night of March 10. The letter stated several points, including the point that the house demolitions were done with unprecedented cruelty, not allowing the residents to remove any of the contents of the houses. There was no arrest, no interrogation, no confession by the suspects from those homes prior to the demolitions. Up until that date, it had been the custom to destroy houses only after suspects residing there had confessed. Moreover, there was no order for the confiscation and/or demolition of the homes. Such a demolition violates the State's commitment to the High Court not to destroy any houses before the residents have exhausted all legal procedures open to them.(4)

The New York Times on June 14,1989 shows the travesty of judicial processes accompanying Israeli demolitions and sealings of Palestinian homes. Reporting that the Israeli "army demolished four West Bank houses and sealed seven others," the report continued:

A military spokesman said the houses demolished in Nablus, Jenin and the village of Beit Ummar and those sealed in Nablus, the village of Samoa and Askar refugee district were the homes of those arrested. None of the Palestinians has yet been tried.(5)

In normal countries a prisoner is tried, convicted or acquitted, and if guilty, punished, hi Israel, if the prisoner is a Palestinian, he is first punished, then convicted and then tried.

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWENTY

1. The Arab Studies Society -Jerusalem.

2. Amnesty International, Demolition and Sealing of Houses in 1srael and the Occupied Territories (London and Washington, D.C., 1987).

3. Ibid.

4. M. Cherif Bassiouni and Louise Cainkar, The Palestinian Intifada - December 9, 1987-December 8, 1988: A Record of 1sraeli Repression (Chicago: DataBase Project on Palestinian Human Rights, 1989), pp. 43-46.

5. The New York Times, June 14, 1989, p. 8.