Smotrich Filmed at Bulldozer Before Court Halts Hebron Demolitions

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video on Friday showing himself standing in front of a bulldozer as the machine destroyed a Palestinian home near the site of a fatal shootout in Hebron. The first demolition in a government-ordered campaign began within hours of two Israeli soldiers being killed at a checkpoint outside the city. Smotrich described the destruction of the unpermitted structure as a move to create deterrence and exact a price. He stated that no link had been established between the building owners and the attackers.

The high court of Israel issued a temporary order halting the demolitions shortly after the work began. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two factory owners located near the site. The petition argued that the demolitions breached international law regarding collective punishment and violated Israeli administrative law. Dahleh noted that the action appeared to replicate illegal practices previously seen in Gaza, now applied in the heart of the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a siege on Hebron and the neighboring town of Halhul. He ordered that residents of the gunmen's home neighborhoods be forced out and pledged mass demolitions of homes. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, with a population of approximately 250,000. Netanyahu said plans were in place for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, though no specific date was set.

Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further forced displacement and mass demolitions. He compared the planned treatment of Hebron to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been displaced. Katz stated that every clan neighborhood from which the terrorists emerged would be evacuated. The attack was carried out by two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun who were driving a car with Israeli number plates. They opened fire after soldiers stopped them at a temporary checkpoint. Both gunmen were killed in a 20-minute gunfight.

The incident occurred as ministers campaigned ahead of Tuesday's elections. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir traveled to Hebron on Friday, demanding the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement. Polls suggest the governing far-right coalition may lose its majority in Tuesday's vote. Since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank. Violence has intensified since the olive harvest began in late September.

An AFP photographer who witnessed the shootout on the way to another assignment saw two Palestinian men firing at Israeli forces. Prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party, shared conspiracy theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association called the claims dangerous and defamatory. The association described the photographer as a longtime professional documenting 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.