Israel razes Palestinian's home over West Bank shooting

By Qays Abu Samra

RAMALLAH (AA) - The Israeli army demolished the home of a Palestinian activist Thursday who is accused of killing two Israeli soldiers in an armed attack.

Israeli forces raided Assem Barghouthi’s house in the town of Kobar in the central West Bank and destroyed it with bulldozers.

Violence erupted when Palestinians tried to stop the Israeli soldiers, who attacked them with both live and rubber bullets and tear gas.

Israeli authorities accuse Barghouthi of killing two soldiers and injuring eight settlers in two shooting attacks in the West Bank last year.

He was arrested by Israeli forces on Jan. 8 after a month-long manhunt.

His brother, Saleh, was shot dead by Israeli forces in December for his alleged involvement in a shooting attack.

In February, the Israeli army said it would demolish the two brothers’ homes for their alleged involvement in attacks against Israeli targets.

They later detained Barghouthi's mother, Suheir Barghouthi.

The Israeli army uses the emergency law of the British Mandate in 1945 to demolish Palestinian homes whose owners allegedly carried out attacks against Israelis.

Israel’s top court usually rejects Palestinians' appeals against the demolition of their homes.

*Writing by Sibel Morrow