House demolition in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

House demolition is a method utilized by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip against Palestinians. Since the occupation of the Palestinian territories following the Six Day War in 1967 down to 2015, it has been estimated by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions that Israel has razed 48,488 Palestinian structures.

Demolition may be done to enforce building codes and regulations, which in the occupied Palestinian territories are set by the Israeli military. IDF explanations for other house demolitions include use as a counter-insurgency security measure to impede or halt militant operations Claims it functions as a potent deterrent against terrorism, in significantly decreasing Palestinian terrorists attacks, have been met with counter-claims, some from the Israeli Defense Forces, that the measure has no proven deterrent effectiveness and is counter-productive.Human rights organizations and the United Nations criticize the ongoing demolitions of Palestinian homes as violating international law, and Amnesty International has contended that the Israeli government actually uses demolitions to collectively punish Palestinians and to seize property for the expansion of Israeli settlements.Theodor Meron advised the Israeli government in 1968, soon after the occupation of the Palestinian territories in the Six Day War, that the practice contravened international law, in particular the Geneva Conventions.

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