Israeli military demolishes home of alleged Palestinian attacker

The Israeli military on Thursday demolished the family home of a Palestinian accused of killing two soldiers and an Israeli newborn, media reported on Thursday.

Israeli forces bulldozed the home of Assam Barghouti, in the village of Kobar near Ramallah, who was arrested earlier this year for his alleged involvement in deadly shooting attacks last December.

Israel arrested more than 100 Palestinians in the manhunt after the attacks and killed Barghouti's brother, Salah, 29, in one of its arrest raids.

Assam Barghouti is accused of shooting the soldiers at a bus stop near the Givat Assaf settlement in the Ramallah area on 13 December.

Israel's domestic security service, the Shin Bet, also accused him of involvement, along with his brother, in another shooting attack nearby, close to the Ofra settlement, that caused the death of a baby and wounded seven.

In the 9 December shooting, a pregnant woman was seriously wounded and her baby was born prematurely and later died.

Barghouti's mother, Suhair Barghouti, was released on bail Tuesday after she  was taken by Israeli forces on 5 February from her home village of Kobar. Her husband Omar, 68, is currently being held in administrative detention.

Israel has a policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinians accused of deadly attacks against Israelis, saying it acts as a deterrent.

The destruction of property in an occupied territory is prohibited under international law. 

Critics denounce it as a form of collective punishment that makes families homeless and can provoke further violence.

The demolitions often spark clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

In 2005, Israel halted the policy but in 2014, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that demolitions would resume after a wave of attacks.

Israel seized control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem in a 1967 war. Around 600,000 Israelis now live in settlements there considered illegal by the international community.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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