Smotrich Demolishes Hebron Home Hours After Checkpoint Shooting

The Israeli government launched a siege on Hebron and the adjacent town of Halhul on Friday, hours after gunmen killed two soldiers near a checkpoint. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that residents of specific neighborhoods would be forced to leave and that mass demolitions would follow. The military stated that the operation represents the largest campaign in the West Bank since 1967, though no specific start date has been set.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in the far-right coalition, documented the first destruction action personally. He posted a video showing a bulldozer crushing a Palestinian home near the shooting site. Smotrich stated the structure lacked permits and that its removal was intended to create deterrence and exact a price. Officials did not link the building's owners to the attackers.

Legal challenges arose immediately. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition with the High Court of Justice on behalf of two factory owners. He argued the demolition violated international law regarding collective punishment and Israeli administrative rules. The court issued a temporary order halting further destruction. Dahleh described the actions as an attempt to replicate illegal practices previously seen in Gaza.

Michael Sfard, a leading Israeli lawyer, characterized Smotrich's video as a direct admission of collective punishment. He noted that using deterrence as a justification for such measures is a concept with historical roots. Defence Minister Israel Katz expanded on the government's strategy, promising further displacement. He compared the treatment of Hebron to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been forced from their homes.

Katz declared that every clan neighborhood from which the shooters emerged would be evacuated. Hebron serves as the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, home to approximately 250,000 residents. The siege aims to tighten limits on movement and dismantle the local administrative infrastructure, according to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who also visited the site.

The military reported that two men in a car with Israeli license plates opened fire at a temporary checkpoint. They used an assault rifle and a handgun. A 20 minute gunfight ensued, resulting in the deaths of both gunmen and injuries to three soldiers. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while traveling to another assignment. He described seeing two Palestinian men firing at Israeli forces.

Political tensions flared after the shooting. A candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party shared theories linking the photographer to the gunmen without evidence. The Foreign Press Association called the claims dangerous and defamatory. This incident followed a week in which settlers severely injured photographer Heidi Levine during the olive harvest.

The governing coalition faces elections on Tuesday, with polls suggesting it may lose its majority. Since October 2023, the West Bank has seen over 1,100 Palestinians killed by forces or settlers. Violence has intensified since the olive harvest began in late September.