Jerusalem, Aug 13: Israel demolished the homes of two Palestinian terror suspects today and prepared to expel three relatives of suicide bombers, intensifying efforts to prevent attacks by targetting assailants' families. In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, a spokesman for the Islamic militant group Hamas said it reserved the right to continue bombings and shooting attacks on Israelis, signalling failure of talks among Palestinian factions on stopping attacks. Last month, Israel began targetting the families of Palestinian assailants in hopes of deterring future attacks.
Last night, a military court also approved the expulsion of three relatives of suicide bombers from the west bank to the Gaza Strip.

Human rights activists argue that demolitions and expulsions constitute collective punishment, violate international law and do not deter future attacks.

Such measures "are not only immoral and cruel and violate the Geneva conventions, but they will bring about the opposite result, the creation of more suicide bombers," said Dan Yakir, head of the Israeli civil rights association. "We have here a double, triple punishment in the cruelest form."
The houses destroyed today were in the town of Dahariya and the village of Doha, both in the southern west bank.

Bureau Report