Demolition (illustration)
Demolition (illustration)Flash 90

The Supreme Court is set to rule Wednesday on the planned demolition of several terrorists' Jerusalem homes, according to AFP.

In early November, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered the demolition of the family homes of six terrorists who carried out attacks against Jewish Israelis. 

The attacks include the terrorist who slammed his tractor into a bus, two "car rampages" near Light Rail stations, the attempted assassination of Temple Mount rights activist Yehuda Glick, and a massacre at a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood. 

The terrorists were all killed by security forces at the scene of their crimes, except for one who died after he opened fire at IDF forces during a raid on his house the following morning.

Demolition orders were announced, not only as a form of collective punishment, but also as a deterrent measure against future terror attacks. 

Israeli authorities have so far carried out only one of these demolitions. On November 19, the flat of the Shaludi family was destroyed. Abdelrahman Shaludi was responsible for the first "car rampage" attack in Jerusalem on October at a light rail station. 

A young woman and a 3-month-old baby girl were murdered in that attack. 

In any case, Israel did not actually demolish the terrorist's entire house, only the terrorist's room , allowing that portion of the house to be quickly rebuilt.

Following the first demolition, though, the families of the other terrorists appealed against Netanyahu's decision through the Israeli right groups Hamoked. The court then issued a temporary restraining order against the government. 

The Supreme Court will make its final ruling on the matter on Wednesday. 

"We're not really optimistic since it seems like the Israeli public wants revenge, and the Israeli authorities want to show they still have power," Hamoked's director Dalia Kerstein told AFP. 

"The whole atmosphere smells like revenge," she claimed. 

Rights groups and several international governments have condemned the practice, which has not been used in Jerusalem for more than five years, with some claiming it will only inflame tensions. 

However, the IDF stressed the efficacy of demolitions in a statement before Shaludi's room in his home was destroyed. 

"Demolition of terrorists’ homes is a clear message to all those who seek to harm Israeli citizens and security forces, that terrorism and harming innocent people has a heavy price that they will pay if they choose to continue these activities."