General okays demolishing home of Palestinian terrorist who killed Israeli-American

The commander of the military’s Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, has signed off on a demolition order against the home of Maher Shalloun, a Palestinian accused of killing dual American-Israeli citizen Elan Ganeles in a terror attack earlier this year.

On February 27, Shalloun and Luai Ma’arouf allegedly opened fire at Ganeles’s car on the Route 90 highway near Jericho, killing him, before opening fire at several other cars in the area.

The pair were arrested several days after the attack, and in March, the Israel Defense Forces measured Shalloun’s home in the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho, in the first step before demolition.

Shalloun’s family was formally notified earlier this month of the military’s intention to raze their home. Last night, Fox signed on the order to seize and later demolish the home, the Israel Defense Forces says.

As a matter of policy, Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

Shalloun’s family can still appeal the decision to raze the home to Israel’s High Court of Justice. But such attempts rarely succeed, though in some cases the court can limit the demolition order to only the parts of the house used by the terrorist.