On November 30, 2014,
the state delivered its response to
HaMoked's petitions against the intended punitive demolition of the family homes of the suspected shooter of right wing activist Yehuda Glick and the assailant in the vehicle attack at the Jerusalem Light Rail station.
In its response, the state argues that "due to the wave of terrorist attacks in Jerusalem in recent months […] the is a vital need to deter assailants who are residents of East Jerusalem from perpetrating terrorist attacks inside the state", and added that this need is augmented "by the fact that these are attacks some of which are perpetrated according to the outline of a 'lone assailant' […] who is ready to die during the attack". The state further notes that HaMoked's claims, whereby punitive house demolitions constitute collective punishment that critically violates the rights of innocent people, were already dismissed by the court in the past, so there is no call to consider them yet again.
Today, December 2, 2014,
similar responses arrived concerning the petitions filed on behalf of the families of the two assailants in the Jerusalem synagogue attack. The hearing in these petitions – and also the
general petition against the punitive house demolition policy – will be held tomorrow, December 3, 2014, at 11:30 a.m.
