In a ruling issued on Tuesday by the Supreme Court, Justice Dafna Barak-Erez voted against the demolition of the home of the terrorist who tried to commit a mass-casualty bus bombing attack in central Israel last February.

The terrorist had assembled five powerful explosive devices in his home, packed with nails and screws to cause as many deaths and injuries as possible. He then entered Israel illegally and hid the bombs on five buses, intending to explode them remotely during rush hour the next day.

B’Chasdei Hashem and in an open neis, three devices exploded at night while the buses were parked in lots in Bat Yam and Holon, so there were no injuries. Two others were neutralized by security forces.

In her ruling, the justice wrote, “In recent decades, the measure of house demolition has been reserved for deadly acts of terror. Security forces have generally refrained from using it when, fortunately, no lives were lost.”

Fortunately, she was outvoted, and the petition against the demolition order was rejected by a single vote.

The demolition of terrorists’ homes has proven to be a powerful deterrent to terror attacks, with security officials attesting that they have received tip-offs from Palestinians about their relatives planning to commit imminent terror attacks.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)