In video | Israel demolishes home of martyr Saleh Bargouti near Ramallah
Ramallah (QNN) – Israeli occupation forces last night demolished the family home of Palestinian martyr Saleh Bargouti in the village of Kobar, northwest of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Witnesses said that large number of Israeli soldiers, backed by a bulldozer, raided Kobar, the hometown of Barghouthi, whom Israel accuses of carrying out a shooting attack near Ofra settlement which resulted in the injury of 11 illegal Israeli settlers in December 2018. Saleh was latter gunned down in a military ambush on December 12.
Mayor of Kobar, Izzat Badwan, told reporters that this was the fourth house demolished by Israel during the last two years and affirmed that such demolition crimes won’t undermine the Palestinian people’s steadfastness and adherence to its legitimate rights.
During ensuing clashes, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters towards local youngsters who protested the raid, injuring a protester with a tear gas canister in the head.
On March 8, Israel had demolished the family home of Saleh’s borother, Assem, who is currently in Israeli detention, for being suspected of killing two Israeli soldiers near Ramallah on December 13, a day after the killing of Saleh.
Israel resorts to punitively demolish the family homes of Palestinians- am a means of deterrence- accused of being involved in attacks against Israelis, a policy that Israel does not apply to Israeli settlers who were involved in fatal attacks against Palestinians.
The policy was widely condemned by human rights groups as “a collective punishment” and “a war crime and crime against humanity”.
