Israel razes home of Palestinian-American shooting suspect's estranged wife

Israel has demolished the home of a Palestinian woman with US citizenship whose estranged husband is accused of involvement in an occupied West Bank shooting that killed an Israeli and left two others injured in May.

Israeli forces levelled the two-story family home of Sanaa Shalabi, 40, in the village of Turmus Ayya with controlled explosions in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Her husband Muntasser Shalabi, 44, was arrested by Israeli forces in May after he allegedly fired on passengers waiting at a bus stop at Tapuah junction south of Nablus in the northern West Bank.

The attack killed Yehuda Guetta, 19, a student at a seminary in the Itamar settlement, and wounded two of his friends.

Sanaa Shalabi, who lived in the home with three of their seven children, told reporters troops arrived at 22 GMT on Wednesday (1 am local time Thursday) to place explosives around her home and that the demolition lasted through the night.

"This is our life. What happened to us is normal. We were prepared for it," she said.

"Overnight ... troops demolished the residence of the terrorist [Muntasser] Shalabi, in the village of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah," an army spokesperson said.

Punitive demolitions

Earlier this year, Israeli human rights organisation HaMoked filed a petition against the demolition with Israel's Supreme Court, which was rejected. 

The group said Shalabi did not live in the home that was destroyed, and that the couple were estranged. The whole family are dual US nationals.

"The man accused of the attack doesn't live in the house, he lives in the US and he comes once or twice a year," HaMoked's executive director Jessica Montell told AFP news agency.

Sanaa "was not in any way involved and didn't know anything about the attack. We thought this should be grounds for not demolishing or just demolishing one room," she added.

She also said Shalabi suffered from mental illness.

The case turned the spotlight on Israel’s policy of punitive demolitions of the homes of Palestinian attackers. 

Israeli officials argue the demolitions deter future attacks, while rights groups view them as a form of collective punishment.

The US Embassy in Israel condemned the move, saying in a statement that all sides should “refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution, this certainly includes the punitive demolition of Palestinian homes."

“As we stated numerous times, the home of an entire family should not be demolished for the actions of one individual,” the embassy said.

The army said during the demolition "approximately 200 rioters hurled rocks and launched fireworks" at troops, who responded with "riot dispersal means".

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