From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 15, 2023
IDF issues demolition order for home of terrorist who killed 3 near Ariel last year
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli military informs the family of Muhammed Souf, an 18-year-old Palestinian terrorist who murdered three Israelis near the West Bank settlement of Ariel in November, that their home is slated for demolition.
On November 15, Souf went on a stabbing and car-ramming spree at the Ariel Industrial Park and a nearby highway, killing Tamir Avihai, 50, Michael Ladygin, 36, and Motti Ashkenazi, 59, as well as seriously wounding three others.
Souf was shot dead by soldiers and armed civilians some 20 minutes after beginning his rampage.
In the days after the attack, Israeli troops measured Souf’s home — the first step before its potential demolition — in the village of Hares.
His family is now formally notified of the military’s intention to raze their 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.
Souf’s family can still appeal the decision to raze the home to Israel’s High Court of Justice. 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.
