Palestinian campaign seeks to raise funds to rebuild terrorist’s demolished home

The campaign is aimed at rebuilding the home of a family in Ramallah, whose son, Mohannad Halabi, knifed to death two Israelis in an attack in Jerusalem in October.

By MAAYAN GROISMAN
Updated: JANUARY 11, 2016 20:27
Family of Palestinian who carried out stabbing attack smiles in selfie at site of the ruins of their home, demolished by the IDF (photo credit: ARAB MEDIA)
Family of Palestinian who carried out stabbing attack smiles in selfie at site of the ruins of their home, demolished by the IDF
(photo credit: ARAB MEDIA)
Palestinian activists have launched a crowdfunding campaign aimed at rebuilding the demolished home of a family in Ramallah, whose son, Mohannad Halabi, knifed to death two Israelis in an attack in Jerusalem in October.
The campaign, titled, "We will reconstruct it with our own hands,” was launched on Sunday, a day after IDF units demolished the family’s home.
The response to the campaign has been quick: NIS 110,000 was collected on the first day of the campaign, after the Islamic Jihad movement encouraged its student unions in the West Bank to take part in the campaign and donate.
The campaign, used by Palestinians to protest against Israel's house demolition policy, may become a tremendous success since many Palestinians view Halabi as the “hero who ignited the Third Intifada's fire.”
In the attack which Halabi carried out, one of the first of the current wave of attacks which has plagued Israel over the last four months, Rabbi Nehemia Lavie, 41, and Aharon Benita, 22, were killed in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Many Palestinians were outraged that the Palestinian Authority did not act to stop the house's demolition by closing the roads leading to the structure and preventing the approach of the Israeli forces.
Following the destruction of their house on January 9, the entire Halabi family gathered around the ruins and took a selfie picture in which all family members are seen smiling and flashing the victory sign.
The family members’ smiles just after losing their house are consistent with the behavior of many young Palestinians during the current terror wave which has seen Palestinian terrorists tend to smile to the camera, even when they are already arrested or physically injured by Israeli security forces. The phenomenon, known in Arabic as Ibtisamat (smiles) has even become a popular hashtag on Palestinian social media.