I have been many times in Israel proper and
in the West Bank, and I know for sure that an order to
demolish a house can be issued by courts only (not by the
army, the police, government, etc.). Before the order becomes
definitive, one has the right to appeal to the supreme court
(formed by eleven judges, one of which is an Israeli Muslim).
As for the reasons, a demolition order can be
issued:
When the house has been illegally
built.
When its owner has been involved in
acts of terrorism.
Regarding Point No. 1 (when the house has
been illegally built):
Demolition of an illegally built house is
prescribed by most of contemporary legal systems. What
happens in Israel is by no means different from what
happens in Italy, in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Regarding Point No. 2 (when its owner has
been involved in acts of terrorism):
It seems that the punishment is not so
hard, if compared with the fault.
I personally know thousands of educated
Israeli Muslims, who abide by Israeli law and who are good
Israeli citizens. No one demolishes their houses, and they
have the opportunity to attend Israeli universities, to get
educated, to find good jobs and to have high-ranking
positions in the State. Some of them are engineers, doctors,
advocates, judges, university professors, members of the
Knesset, etc.
These Israeli Muslims understand that Israel
respects their rights as a minority and protects their
religious freedom. For this reason they consider it a
privilege to be citizens of the only democratic State in
Middle East. They are informed about the situation of their
brothers in Jordan, Egypt, etc., and can compare how they are
treated by Israel on the one hand, and by their "Arab
brothers" on the other hand.
The uneducated Israeli Muslim population,
however, is a victim of irrational propaganda by P.L.O.
leaders or by members of Hamas and other criminal
organizations. These uneducated Muslims do not yet understand
that fighting against Israel is the worst political mistake
Arabs committed during this century.
May Allah keep you well. And keep you, too,
wa-s-salamu 'alaykum wr wb.
Shabbat Shalom,
Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Rome, Italy