Israel demolishes Palestinian homes

Israeli army bulldozers knocked down three Palestinian homes and two shacks today near a Jewish settlement in the southern West Bank, Palestinians said.

The Israeli army did not immediately comment.

Palestinian witnesses said the houses may have been used as a refuge for two militants who attacked the settlement of Otniel last month, killing four seminary students before being shot dead themselves.

The army has been demolishing the family homes of militants to deter attacks, as well as buildings used as cover to stage attacks.

Palestinians say the practice constitutes collective punishment.

The homes of the gunmen who carried out the attack in Otniel were destroyed on December 30.

Israeli forces destroyed 62 shops in the Palestinian village of Nazlat Issa yesterday, the biggest demolition in the West Bank in years.

Israel says the shops were built illegally. Village Mayor Ziad Salem accused Israel of waging war on the Palestinian economy.

An Israeli official said it took 10 years to take down the shops because a series of court and committee hearings precede the demolition of illegal structures in the West Bank.

Israeli troops have demolished hundreds of Palestinian homes in the past 28 months of fighting. In Gaza alone, more than 5,700 Palestinians have been made homeless, according to Palestinian officials.