Israeli army and police forces demolished overnight the east Jerusalem family home of a Palestinian suspected in perpetrating a deadly vehicular attack against Israelis in October, a military spokesperson said Wednesday.

Abed al-Rahman al-Shaludi, resident of the neighborhood of Silwan in annexed east Jerusalem, was shot dead by police after he rammed his vehicle into a crowed of commuters in a light rail station in Jerusalem on October 22. The attack claimed the lives of a 3-month old baby and a 22-year old woman.

The family of suspect denied al-Shaludi was responsible for the terror attack, saying he lost control of his vehicle.

The move came a day after Israeli Prime Minister told the army to speed up the house demolitions of those who carried out recent attacks on Israelis, and also ordered to demolish the homes of east Jerusalem assailants, who's responsible for Tuesday attack on a Jerusalem synagogue that killed four worshipers and a policeman dead.

"The house demolitions are a clear message to all those who seek to hurt Israeli citizens, terror bears a heavy price," a statement by the military said.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday condemned the attack, urging leaders on both sides to work together to ease the spiking tensions in Jerusalem.

However, the U.S. administration last Thursday also condemned the scheduled demolitions as "collective punishment" that would only increase the tensions in the city. Since the occupation of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza in 1967, Israel had used house demolitions as punitive measure against relatives of Palestinians who harmed or allegedly harmed Israelis.

However, the measure was abandoned in 2005, when it was found its drawbacks outweigh its benefits.

The punitive measure was brought back in July, after the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank.

Related

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