Israeli forces kill two Palestinians during West Bank home demolitions
Middle East EyeJan 02, 2023
Israeli forces on Monday killed two Palestinians identified as Fouad Abed — who Gaza's ruler Hamas group claimed to be its member — and Samer Houshiyeh during a raid on the village of Kafr Dan near Jenin in the West Bank. Three others were reportedly injured.
The military wing of Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, later affirmed that Houshiyeh was its member, publishing a previous photo of him posing with rifles.
Israeli military action in the West Bank amounts to serious war crimes. Israel practices collective punishment against Palestinians by targeting family members of those involved in resistance to the occupation. Quite simply, Israel's occupation is the main driver of violence, and Israel must be held accountable for the crimes it has committed against the Palestinian people.
Israel's policy of demolishing the homes of known terrorists is not "collective punishment" or a "war crime." Rather, it is a form of deterrence, so the terrorists know that there is a heavy price to pay if they decide to attack Israelis. The only reason Israel has increased its operations in the West Bank is in response to Palestinian terrorism in Israel.
There's a 44% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.