Court Halts Hebron Demolitions After Two Soldiers Killed
Israel's high court paused home demolitions in Hebron after gunmen killed two soldiers at a checkpoint outside the city.
By Sarah Montgomery ·
Israel began a military closure of Hebron and the neighbouring town of Halhul on Thursday after two soldiers were killed at a checkpoint outside the city. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said residents of the gunmen's home neighbourhoods would be forced out and that mass home demolitions would follow.
The first demolition began within hours. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video of himself in front of a bulldozer tearing down a Palestinian home near the site of the firefight. He said the structure lacked permits and that the work would "create deterrence and exact a price." No connection was claimed between the building's owners and the attackers.
Israel's high court issued a temporary order stopping the demolitions shortly after they started. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition for two nearby factory owners, arguing the demolitions breached international law on collective punishment and Israeli administrative law. "What we saw today was an attempt to copy the illegal practices used in Gaza, in the heart of the West Bank," Dahleh said. Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard called Smotrich's video a "direct admission" that the demolitions amounted to collective punishment.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hebron would be handled as the Jenin refugee camp was, where nearly 20,000 people have left their homes. "Every clan neighbourhood in Hebron from which the terrorists emerged today will be evacuated of its residents," Katz said. Hebron holds about 250,000 residents, the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu said plans were drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, with no date set but adding "it is on the way".
The Israeli military said two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun opened fire after soldiers stopped their car, which carried Israeli plates, at a temporary checkpoint outside Hebron. Both were killed after a 20-minute gunfight. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange and saw two Palestinian men firing at Israeli forces.
Conspiracy theories naming the photographer circulated afterward among prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party. The Foreign Press Association called the claims "dangerous and defamatory" and described the photographer as a longtime professional.
The West Bank has seen more than 1,100 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir traveled to Hebron on Friday and demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement.
