Jerusalem, July 2 (IANS): Israel Wednesday destroyed the house of the family of Ziad Awad, who was charged by a military court with committing the murder of an off-duty Israeli policeman, the Israeli army said.
The Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson's unit said that the demolition was aimed to serve as a deterrent, Xinhua reported.
"The destruction of the homes of terrorists is a message of deterrence to terrorists and their collaborators," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"There is a price they will pay if they choose to continue with terrorist activities and harming innocent civilians," it added.
In April, Israeli policeman Baruch Mizrachi was shot dead near Hebron. The Israeli Security Service (the Shin Bet) said that Awad carried out the murder using a motorcycle and a machine gun he had obtained in advance.
The Shin Bet also said that Awad was a member of Hamas and was incarcerated in the past for killing Palestinians who collaborated with Israelis. He was released in 2011 in a prisoner swap deal.
On Monday, the Israeli Supreme Court denied a petition by Awad's family and human rights organizations against the demolition of their house in the village of Idhna, near Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
B'tselem, an Israeli human rights group, said that since Israel occupied the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza in 1967, the Israeli military has carried out the demolition of hundreds of homes to punish relatives of Palestinians who harmed or allegedly harmed Israelis.
Awad's house, owned by his brother, is currently home to two families: a total of 13 individuals, including eight children, B'tselem said.