Adalah Petitions Israeli Supreme Court to Halt Mass Demolitions in Nur Shams and Tulkarem Palestinian Refugee Camps in the Occupied West Bank
Today, 6 May 2025 , Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court demanding an immediate freeze and the cancellation of demolition orders issued by the Israeli military targeting over 100 homes and civilian buildings in the Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps in the occupied West Bank.
The petition follows the military’s response on 4 May 2025 rejecting Adalah’s initial legal objection to the demolitions. This morning, the military began demolishing buildings in Nur Shams, reportedly destroying 18 structures. The military ordered the demolition of approximately 104 civilian buildings, home to at least 1,000 people – primarily refugee families who have already been displaced and are currently sheltering in nearby towns. Most residents were never informed of the demolition orders and thus they were denied any opportunity to object, in violation of basic due process.
CLICK HERE to read the petition
CLICK HERE to read Adalah’s letter
CLICK HERE to read the Israeli military’s response
Case Citation: HCJ 12276-05-25 Adalah v. Minister of Defense
The petition, filed by Adalah’s legal director Dr. Suhad Bishara, argued that the demolitions constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law. The military justified the destruction by claiming that the presence of alleged “terror infrastructure” turns the entire area into a combat zone and invokes “military necessity” to override civilian protections. This reasoning, as argued in the petition, erases the distinction between civilians and combatants, and dangerously transforms Palestinian refugee camps into zones of unrestricted military destruction. Consequently, the demolition orders contradict fundamental principles of international law, and their execution could amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute.
The petition cites multiple violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, including the prohibition against the destruction of civilian property (Article 53), the ban on forcible transfer of protected persons (Article 49), and the prohibition on collective punishment (Article 33). Adalah emphasized that refugee camp residents are protected civilians and that the demolitions are intended to make return impossible.
Adalah further emphasized that the residents have been denied their right to be heard, a clear violation of their basic due process rights. In its response, the military argued that this right is “relative” and can be overridden by military imperatives, an interpretation that undermines established international legal standards. Adalah argued that this denial of due process alone justifies the cancellation of the demolition orders.
Adalah requested that the Court immediately issue an interim injunction to freeze the demolition orders and prevent further destruction until the petition is heard. The urgency is underscored by the fact that demolitions have already begun, with extensive destruction anticipated in the coming days if the Court does not intervene. The court ordered the respondents to submit their response to the request by tomorrow.
The demolition orders were issued amid Israel’s ongoing military assaults across the West Bank, which have heavily targeted refugee camps and triggered the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since the 1967 occupation—forcing some 40,000 people from their homes. These actions form part of what appears to be a full-fledged war against Palestinian refugees. Alongside the military campaigns, the Israeli knesset passed legislation aimed at dismantling UNRWA, threatening to strip Palestinian refugees across the OPT of essential services and support, including in Gaza, where Israel continues its genocidal assault and imposes a deliberately engineered famine.
