Israeli authorities seal off home of Palestinian accused of deadly rock attack

Israeli authorities sealed off the home of a Palestinian who threw a rock which led to the death of an Israeli in September 2015, the Israeli army said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and police units on Monday cemented and sealed off the home of Abed Dawiat in the Palestinian village of Sur Baher in east Jerusalem, the IDF spokesperson told Xinhua.

In September 2015, Dawiat, who was then 17 years old, threw rocks at Israeli vehicles in southeast Jerusalem along with other youths. One of the rocks hit an Israeli car driven by Alexander Levlovitz.

The 64-year-old Levlovitz lost control of the vehicle and drove into a post in southeast Jerusalem, resulting in his death. The incident took place shortly prior to the outburst of a wave of violence in which 28 Israelis and nearly 200 Palestinians were killed.

Dawiat and three other Palestinian youths were indicted earlier this year for the attack, with the court conceding it was the rock thrown by Dawiat, who confessed to throwing the stones, that hit Levlovitz's car.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court ruled that Dawiat's home can be sealed off, but ruled against using such measures against the other three defendants, while discussing appeals against the measure.

The IDF reported that the homes of 11 Palestinian attackers have been demolished since September, three of which were connected to attacks that occurred prior to the wave of violence that started in October.

Israel has expedited the use of home demolitions amid the wave of Palestinian car-ramming, stabbing and shooting attacks against Israelis, in hopes of deterring future attackers.

The defense establishment, however, criticized the effectiveness of these tactics in a 2005 report by defense officials, and human rights groups charge that home demolitions constitute collective punishments.

Netanyahu had announced recently he would be seeking to advance other punishments against families of attackers, including their expulsion to other territories in the West Bank, or to the Gaza Strip.

Israel occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories in the 1967 Mideast War. While Israeli leaders charge Palestinian incitement is to blame for the wave of unrest, Palestinian charge it is caused by the frustration amid 49 years of occupation and dim prospects of establishing a Palestinian state.

After occupying east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War, Israel annexed the territory, home to 300,000 Palestinians, as part of the Jerusalem municipality in 1981, in a move not recognized by the international community.

Source: XINHUA