IDF partially demolished the family home of Ashraf Walid Suleiman Na’alwa in December.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMIsraeli forces demolish part of the family house of Palestinian gunman Ashraf Naalwa in the village of Shweikeh near Tulkarm, in the West Bank December 17, 2018(photo credit: MOHAMAD TOROKMAN/REUTERS)
The family of the Palestinian terrorist responsible for the deadly shooting attack in a West Bank industrial zone has begun rebuilding their home tree months after the IDF partially demolished it.Pictures of the construction of the new home in the West Bank village of Shweika near Tulkarem were published on social media on Sunday.The home was partially demolished in December, with Israeli bulldozers demolishing the basement and ground floor of the three-story house before soldiers continued the demolition by hand.In early October, 23-year-old Ashraf Walid Suleiman Na’alwa shot dead Kim Levengrond-Yehezkel, 29, of Rosh Ha’ayin, and Ziv Hagbi, 35, from Rishon Lezion.Na’alwa, who had a permit to work at the Barkan Park where he had been employed as an electrician for the past seven months at a factory run by the Alon Group, is said to have forced an Arab employee to tie up Levengrond-Yehezkel and Hajbi before he shot them and fled the scene with the Carl-Gustav weapon he used.He was killed by IDF troops during his arrest in mid-December.Levengrond-Yehezkel’s father, Rafi, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after hearing the news of the home being rebuilt, telling Ynet News that “Palestinians do what they want because they understand that they’re doing business with someone like Netanyahu, who rattles his tail, but does nothing.”“They understand there will be no serious repercussions,” he continued, adding that “this is a non-stop series of blunders, starting from the fact that it took the military 70 days to find the terrorist, to the eventual failure to fully demolish the house. The deterrence has eroded a long ago. The house and the money of the terrorist’s family must be confiscated and transferred to the victims’ relatives. I intend to sue them in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.”Tensions have risen in the West Bank in recent weeks and Palestinians also called on locals to rebuild the home of Omar Abu Lila who carried out a deadly attack at the Ariel Junction last week after it would be demolished by the Israeli military.While some NGOs and human rights organizations criticize the army for using collective punishment by demolishing the homes of the terrorist’s families, the IDF believes they are a key deterrent to stop other potential attackers.
In early March, the IDF demolished the home of Assem Barghouti, who carried out a deadly shooting attack at the Givat Assaf outpost and – along with his brother, Saleh – carried out a deadly shooting attack outside the settlement of Ofra in the West Bank days earlier.The shooting outside Ofra left seven Israelis wounded, including Shira Ish-Ran, who was 30 weeks pregnant and whose son, Aviad Yisrael, died days after being delivered in an emergency cesarean section. Two IDF soldiers – Sgt. Yosef Cohen and Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef – were killed in the Givat Assaf attack.While the IDF has carried out the demolition order for the home of Assem Barghouti, it has still not demolished the home of his brother, Saleh, who was shot dead by IDF troops during an arrest attempt on December 12.In January, the IDF issued a demolition order for the home belonging to the family of Assem Barghouti in the West Bank village of Kobar south of Nablus.Chaim Silberstein, Shira Ish-Ran’s father, told The Jerusalem Post that the home must be demolished, and quickly.“The time factor is important – they should be done soon after the event. It’s not sufficient though, expelling the families should also be considered, to other parts of the West Bank or to Gaza. We need to find an efficient and effective deterrent to stop the wave of brutal terrorism which has only escalated in Judea and Samaria. Both demolitions and expulsions are effective deterrents.”Silberstein told the Post that if the home is not demolished, the victims’ families will carry out a public campaign to make sure it’s carried out.“I’m no security expert, but we should not tie the hands of security forces which can deter and prevent other attacks,” he said. “We will carry out a public campaign to try and get the defense forces to carry this demolition out. It’s the minimum-absolute minimum-type of justice to be done to a vile and disgusting murder.Shai Glick, from the human rights organization Betzalmo, told the Post that two weeks ago the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the demolition of homes serves as a deterrent and prevents future attacks.“The unfortunate decision not to demolish the house of a terrorist only because the driver was not the actual shooter is a reward for terrorism and an invitation to the next terrorists to be partners in the cycle of terrorism,” Glick said. “I demand that the prime minister and defense minister follow through on his words and immediately destroy the house of the terrorist from the attack in Ofra, as well as the homes of the murderers of Uri Ansbacher and of Rabbi Ettinger.”
