Israel Demolishes Palestinian Homes

After weathering a wave of attacks from Palestinians, Israel has begun demolishing the homes of families of men accused of killing or plotting against Israelis. NBC News reports that the first attack came this week when a poor neighborhood near the Old City of Jerusalem was razed to destroy the home of a man who drove his van into a train stop and killed a woman and baby. Israel’s government has ordered the destruction of five more homes in connection to recent attacks. The Prime Minister’s spokesman, Mark Regev, says the move will deter “a culture of support within Palestinian society” and defended the strategy’s legal status, saying that the practice is carried out through the courts, which give families a chance to object and appeal (which rarely succeeds).