The US Condemned Israel For Demolishing Palestinian Homes, Israeli PM's Office Accepts And Understands

Illustration of a destroyed Palestinian settlement. (Wikimedia Commons/'Amer' Aruri)

JAKARTA - For the first time, the administration of US President Joe Biden is 'engaging' in general dissent, pressuring Israel to stop its punitive policy of destroying Palestinian homes, even those of terror group members.

"We are making this a very high priority", US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington, citing the Jerusalem Post Friday, July 9.

The issue came to light before Bennett's first visit to Washington to meet US President Joe Biden, after the IDF on Thursday morning destroyed the home of the deceased member of the terror group Muntasir Shalabi in the West Bank.

Price said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had personally and spoken to senior Israeli colleagues prior to the Israeli demolition.

"The secretary and other senior officials here at the State Department in recent days have raised these concerns directly with senior Israeli officials and we will continue to do so as long as this practice continues", Price said.

United States Department of State spokesman Ned Price. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

However, Naftali Bennett did not heed the US objections. Early Thursday, the Israeli Army (IDF) demolished Shalabi's house located in the West Bank town of Turmus Aiya, near Ramallah. Hours after the demolition, the US Embassy issued a condemnation.

"The house of the whole family must not be demolished because of the actions of one individual", an embassy spokesman said.

“We believe it is imperative for all parties to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undermine efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution; this, of course, includes the destruction of Palestinian homes as punishment", the spokesman added. Price then repeated the same statement.

Separately, a source in Bennett's office said the new prime minister respected and respected the United States.

"At the same time, (the prime minister) acted solely in accordance with considerations of the security of the State of Israel and the need for the protection of the lives of Israeli citizens", the source said.

To note, the family case attracted US attention because Shalabi held US citizenship. According to the left-wing NGO HaMoked, their wife and seven children, three of whom live in the house and four of whom live in the US, all hold US citizenship.