Smotrich Films Hebron Home Demolition Before Court Halts Eviction Order

Residents of Hebron and the nearby town of Halhul now face a military siege and orders to leave their homes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the measures on Friday after gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others near a checkpoint outside Hebron. The announcement targeted specific neighbourhoods where the attackers had lived, promising that all residents in those areas would be forced out.

The first home demolition began within hours of the shooting. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video showing himself in front of a bulldozer as it destroyed a Palestinian home near the scene. Smotrich stated that the demolition was intended to create deterrence and exact a price. The home had been built without permits, and no link was claimed between the building's owners and the attackers.

Israel's high court issued a temporary order halting the demolitions shortly after the work started. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners. Dahleh argued that the action breached international law regarding collective punishment as well as Israeli administrative law. He described the scene as an attempt to copy illegal practices used in Gaza in the heart of the West Bank.

Michael Sfard, a leading Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a direct admission that the demolitions amounted to collective punishment. Sfard noted that deterrence has served as a justification for such punishment since antiquity.

Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further mass demolitions and forced displacement. He explicitly compared the situation to Gaza and the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been forced from their homes. Katz said every clan neighbourhood in Hebron from which the terrorists emerged would be evacuated. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, with about 250,000 residents.

Netanyahu said plans were drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967. He stated that no date had been set, but the operation was on the way. The Israeli military reported that two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun carried out the attack. They were driving a car with Israeli number plates and opened fire after soldiers stopped them at a temporary checkpoint. Both men were killed after a gunfight lasting 20 minutes.

An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while traveling to another assignment. The photographer saw two Palestinian men with a handgun and an automatic rifle firing at Israeli forces. Prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party, later shared conspiracy theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association described the claims as dangerous and defamatory. The photographer is a longtime professional who documented events in keeping with his duties.

This episode followed a week in which settlers severely injured photographer Heidi Levine while she documented attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives. Since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, the occupied West Bank has seen a surge in settlement expansion and violence against Palestinians. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers during this period. Attacks have intensified since the olive harvest began in late September.

Polls suggest the governing far-right coalition, which backs settlers, may lose its majority in elections held on Tuesday. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir travelled to Hebron on Friday. He demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement.