Israel destroys house of prisoner, leave mother and 3 kids homeless

Israeli occupation forces this morning destroyed the house of Palestinian prisoner Muntaser Shalaby, in the village of Turmus Ayya in the northwest of Ramallah.

Eyewitnesses said a large number of Israeli occupation troops raided the village at night and an Israeli army engineering unit planted explosives in the house.

Following the demolition, scores of Palestinians protested against the presence and actions of occupation forces in the village.

Two weeks ago, the Israeli Supreme Court upheld the decision to destroy the prisoner’s house after rejecting a petition submitted by his wife who lived in the house along with their three children.

Shalaby was accused by Israel of carrying out a drive-by shooting in the occupied West Bank on 2 May, killing and wounding two Israelis before he was arrested.

The prisoner, his wife and children are American citizens. His wife has told AP that she lived in the house alone with their children while her husband lived in New Mexico.

HaMoked, an Israeli rights group that represented her, said her husband had a history of mental illness.

The US has previously called for Israel to stop this punitive measure, which is being described by rights groups as a form of collective punishment.

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