The Israeli army said it had destroyed the house of a Palestinian suspected of shooting several Israelis in the occupied West Bank, one of whom later died.
During the house demolition, riots broke out with about 200 Palestinians throwing stones and firecrackers at the soldiers.
In the attack in early May, three Israeli religious students waiting at a bus stop at a crossroads south of the Palestinian city of Nablus were hit by gunfire from a passing car. One of the Israelis died in hospital.
Three days after the attack, the Palestinian was arrested. He is in prison and has been charged with murder and attempted murder, according to media reports.
According to the reports, he also holds a US passport. A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Israel said: “We believe it is critical for all parties to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution, this certainly includes the punitive demolition of Palestinian homes.”Israel uses house demolitions as a deterrent. Human rights organizations consider this collective punishment a violation of international humanitarian law. However, Israel’s highest court has repeatedly allowed house demolitions and rejected complaints against them.
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem, among other territories, during the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians, on the other hand, claim the territories for their own state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
