Anoher grimming scene in the West Bank: settlers celebrating the destruction of a Palestinian house by singing

(c) Anne Paq/Activestills.org, 19 March 2008, South Hebron. Palestinians in front of their destroyed house and furniture after a series of demolition carried out by Israeli army. Palestiniens devant leur maison en ruines et les meubles qu'ils ont pu sauver en 15 mn. Des colons ont celebré les démolitions en chantant et applaudissant.

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> House demolition, Mnezel Village, Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
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> A family of five headed by Salamia Hrezat from the Mnezel Village,
> south of Hebron, close to Ma’on and Al Taiwan became witnessed to the
> demolition of their own home along with the adjacent sheep shelter on
> Wednesday morning around 9 am. A team of seven Israeli police and army
> jeeps and a bulldozer came to the family’s home site for the third
> time around in a one year period, to demolish the impoverished
> family’s house. There were no reasons, no warnings and no documents
> given to the residents. None of the family members were wanted for any
> type of criminal incidents and they were told to stop building another
> one. The illegal Israeli settlement of Karmel is in the village’s
> vicinity and the family are always reminded that they are not allowed
> to build any structure or makeshift shelter even though they own the
> land outright.
>
> House demolition, Khirbit Kadirat, Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
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> A family of 12 headed by Taiseer Al Hadra living in a well established
> two story structure in the village of Khirbit Kadirat lost their home
> to the demolition order undertook by Israeli soldiers. The family
> received a warning five months ago against the building of a second
> floor. The family was also told to hire a lawyer and was given a
> document that attested the demolition of the house. The building
> consisted originally of one floor built almost six years ago to which
> a second floor was added about one year and a half ago. At the time of
> the arrival of the bulldozer, the residents were given 15 minutes to
> exit the building and to pick up valuables. The entire furniture was
> taken out in the middle of the dirt road and few things could be
> salvaged.
>
> Verbal warnings were also given against the rebuilding of the site and
> of a new house on the land own by the family of 12. Same warning was
> also given to 30 other families of the same village. During the time
> the demolition took place, the residents of the Israeli settlement of
> Karmel celebrated by singing and clapping for the destruction of the
> Palestinians’ home.
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> The mosque of the same village is also feared to be destroyed in the
> next coming day, a situation that already happened two other times.
> International supporters from the Christian Peacemakers Team
> organization as well as others turned up at the site of the mosque to
> show support as well as local residents and other supporters and to
> stop the destruction of the worship place.
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