November 10

On 7 November, LAW’s attorney argued its petition to the Israeli High Court to stop the demolition of the homes of the families of the four alleged suicide bombers. LAW argued that the demolition was a form of collective punishment against the families, who have not been accused of any involvement in the bombings. LAW’s attorney requested that the High Court overturn its prior decisions approving house demolitions, relying on Israeli High Court Justice Cheshin’s dissenting opinion on a prior case, also submitted by LAW. In addition, LAW’s attorney argued that the identities of the bombers had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt, and that the DNA tests used to identify the bombers were inconclusive.

LAW argued first for a postponement of the hearing, in order to obtain independent confirmation and a re-analysis of the DNA tests, which had been forcibly conducted on family members of the alleged bombers. The Court rejected LAW’s request to conduct an independent analysis, and decided to hear the case immediately.

Against a team of ten representatives of the Israeli government, the intelligence community and the military authorities of the West Bank, LAW then argued against the demolitions themselves. During the hearing, the government presented secret evidence regarding the identity of the bombers. The Court refused to allow LAW’s attorney to see or respond to the secret evidence.

LAW argued that the demolitions violate international law, are unjust and punish the innocent. The Israeli High Court stated that it would issue a decision in the upcoming days.

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.