Obama administration condemns home demolition

April 8, 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Obama administration said Israel's demolition of the Jerusalem home of a terrorist was "unhelpful."

Asked about the demolition Tuesday of the home of the terrorist whose bulldozer attack last year killed three people in Jerusalem, Robert Wood, the State Department spokesman, recalled the condemnation of such tactics by Hillary Rodham Clinton, the secretary of state, when she was in Israel last month.

"This is obviously a very difficult issue, but I’d point to what the secretary said when she was in the region last time, that demolitions, evictions are unhelpful and that the ramifications of such actions, you know, go beyond just the individual families who are impacted by families directed – directly impacted by these actions," he said. "And we continue to raise these concerns with both the government of Israel and the municipal officials about this."

He added: "We want to make sure that both sides are not taking steps that are divisive and that are going to increase tensions in the region."

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