“We are doing what’s good for the State of Israel,” Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel of the New Hope party told the Kan public broadcaster.
The administration of US President Joe Biden last week leveled rare criticism at Israel for the razing of the home of a Palestinian-American suspected in a deadly West Bank shooting attack in May, marking a likely point of friction amid efforts between Washington and Jerusalem to rehabilitate ties.
Following Israel’s punitive demolition of Muntasir Shalabi’s home on Thursday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had raised concerns over the matter with their Israeli counterparts.
“We attach a good deal of priority to this, knowing that the home of an entire family shouldn’t be demolished for the action of one individual,” Price said.
Home demolitions are a controversial punitive measure that the Israeli security establishment maintains can deter future terror attacks. The demolition came despite a number of legal challenges against the decision.
Shalabi is accused of killing Israeli student Yehuda Guetta and injuring two others in a shooting attack.
“The new government’s policy is clear regarding violations of sovereignty and treatment of terrorism,” Hendel said on Sunday.
