Tuesday 19 February 2002. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Knesset member Muhammad Baraka today filed a case through lawyer Ihab Iraqi to gain a temporary order to stop the bulldozing of twenty Palestinian houses in Dair al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. The Center lodged the case on behalf the owners of the houses as their legal representative.

In the early hours of this morning members of the Israeli forces orally notified inhabitants of twenty houses located near al-Hikir/Kissufim crossing that their houses would be demolished at 14.00 on Tuesday 19 December. However, in a serious breach, the Israeli forces bulldozed a house owned by Ahmad al-Smiri before the assigned time. Al Mezan Center also contacted the Legal Adviser of the Israeli Government to stop destroying the houses until the High Court had examined the case.

At approximately 13.30, and in an unprecedented case during the current Intifada/uprising the Israeli High Court issued a temporary order that obliges the occupation forces to stop destroying the houses in Dair al-Balah until the High Court assigns a session to look into the case.

Al-Mezan Center will continue its efforts to gain a permanent order to stop the destruction of these houses.