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Jewish Arsonists Suspected in West Bank Attack That Killed Palestinian Toddler Jewish Arsonists Suspected in West Bank Attack That Killed Palestinian Toddler
(about 2 hours later)
DUMA, West Bank — A Palestinian toddler was burned to death and his 4-year-old brother critically injured early Friday morning in an arson attack on their home in the West Bank that witnesses and officials attributed to Jewish extremists because of Hebrew graffiti sprayed nearby. “Revenge!” was written on one wall, next to a Star of David. DUMA, West Bank — A Palestinian toddler was burned to death and his 4-year-old brother and parents were critically injured early Friday morning in an arson attack on their home in the West Bank.
The attack was branded as terrorism by Israeli and Palestinian politicians, and shocked consciences on both sides of the simmering conflict that has boiled into renewed violence in recent weeks. Witnesses and officials attributed the attack to Jewish extremists because of Hebrew graffiti sprayed nearby. “Revenge!” was written on one wall, next to a Star of David.
Residents of Duma — a hilltop hamlet of 3,000, many of whose men, including the children’s father, work building homes in nearby Israeli settlements — milled with stony faces around the charred home, where relatives threw a baby bottle still sloshing with milk and photographs of the young family atop a pile of blackened furniture and burned blankets. The parents were also hurt in the fire. The firebombing in the hilltop hamlet of Duma was branded as terrorism by Israeli and Palestinian politicians, and shocked consciences on both sides of the simmering conflict that has boiled into renewed violence in recent weeks.
“The atmosphere here is very grave,” Sakariya Shadeh, a human rights worker from a nearby village who was at the scene, said on Army Radio. “People are angry over what has happened, over what has brought upon this act.” Officials and neighbors here identified the dead child as 18-month old Ali Saad Dawabsheh, and said his parents, Saad, 32, who worked building homes in nearby Israeli settlements, and Riham, a 27-year-old teacher, were being treated in Israeli hospitals along with their other son, Ahmad.
Officials and neighbors identified the dead child as 18-month old Ali Saad Dawabsheh, and said his parents, Saad, 32, and Riham, a 27-year-old mathematics teacher, were being treated in Israeli hospitals along with their other son, Ahmad. Some of the 3,000 residents of the village gathered with stony faces around the family’s charred home, where a relative had tossed a baby bottle still sloshing with milk and photographs of the young family atop a pile of blackened furniture and burned blankets.
Witnesses said that they saw four masked men in black clothing throw firebombs through the windows of two homes near the village entrance around 2 a.m. and that Duma residents had chased them toward the nearby settlement of Maale Efraim; two witnesses said they saw two of the men standing over the burning bodies. The firebombing appeared to be the most severe recent case of what Israelis call “price tag” attacks, often vandalism of mosques or the uprooting of Palestinians’ olive trees, carried out by settlers in retribution for Palestinian attacks on Jews.
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said that he would ask the International Criminal Court to investigate the attack as a war crime, local news sites reported, and that Israeli expressions of outrage were not sufficient. “Steps beyond words also have to be taken,” Mr. Abbas said.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, called it a “brutal assassination” and said he held the Israeli government “fully responsible.” He called the attack “a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism.”Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, called it a “brutal assassination” and said he held the Israeli government “fully responsible.” He called the attack “a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism.”
“This is the consequence of a culture of hate funded and incentivized by the Israeli government and the impunity granted by the international community,” Mr. Erekat said in a statement. “We call upon the international community to end its policy of empty statements and to finally do something to protect Palestinians.”“This is the consequence of a culture of hate funded and incentivized by the Israeli government and the impunity granted by the international community,” Mr. Erekat said in a statement. “We call upon the international community to end its policy of empty statements and to finally do something to protect Palestinians.”
Israeli politicians across the spectrum also quickly condemned the arson as barbaric, heinous, horrific and “a terror attack,” a term usually reserved for Palestinian violence against Jews. Members of Parliament, President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Ahmad and Mrs. Dawabsheh, whose injuries were described as life-threatening, in the hospital Friday afternoon. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said that he would ask the International Criminal Court to investigate the attack as a war crime, local news sites reported, and that Israeli expressions of outrage were not sufficient. “Steps beyond words also have to be taken,” Mr. Abbas said.
Israeli politicians across the spectrum also quickly condemned the arson as barbaric, heinous and “a terror attack,” a term usually reserved for Palestinian violence against Jews. Members of Parliament, President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Ahmad and Mrs. Dawabsheh in the hospital Friday afternoon.
“It is hard when you stand beside the bed of such a young child, and you know that his older brother, who was a year-and-a-half-old, was murdered here and you ask for what was this awful act,” Mr. Netanyahu said afterward. “We are shocked by it, we condemn it fully, the entire Israeli government and all the citizens of Israel. We decry it as a terrorist crime. Terrorism is terrorism. We need to fight it every place it comes from. We will capture these murderers. We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring them to justice and to see justice served to them.”“It is hard when you stand beside the bed of such a young child, and you know that his older brother, who was a year-and-a-half-old, was murdered here and you ask for what was this awful act,” Mr. Netanyahu said afterward. “We are shocked by it, we condemn it fully, the entire Israeli government and all the citizens of Israel. We decry it as a terrorist crime. Terrorism is terrorism. We need to fight it every place it comes from. We will capture these murderers. We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring them to justice and to see justice served to them.”
The attack revived painful memories of the abduction and murder last July of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, who was burned alive by Jewish extremists after being snatched from his East Jerusalem neighborhood before dawn. The past month, while hardly comparable to last year’s war between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, has been marked by an unsettling string of violent incidents. The attack revived painful memories of the abduction and killing last July of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, who was burned alive by Jewish extremists after he was snatched from his East Jerusalem neighborhood. The past month, while hardly comparable to last year’s war between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, has been marked by an unsettling string of violent incidents.
Four Palestinians have been fatally shot by Israeli soldiers in recent weeks during arrest raids and other clashes. Just hours before the Duma arson, an ultra-Orthodox Jew was arrested for stabbing six participants in the Jerusalem gay-pride parade, weeks after he was released from prison for a mirror-image attack a decade before. Four Palestinians have been fatally shot by Israeli soldiers in recent weeks during arrest raids and other clashes. Just hours before the Duma firebombing, an ultra-Orthodox Jew was arrested for stabbing six participants in the Jerusalem gay-pride parade, weeks after he was released from prison for a mirror-image attack a decade before.
The Duma fire appeared to be the most severe recent case of what Israelis call “price tag” attacks, often vandalism of mosques or the uprooting of Palestinians’ olive trees, carried out by bands of settlers in retribution for Palestinian attacks on Jews. Duma, a village of boxy, concrete homes that is reachable only by rocky mountain roads, is very close to Shilo, a settlement near which Malachi Rosenfeld, 26, was fatally shot by Palestinian militants a month ago while he and four friends were driving home from a basketball game. The Israeli military announced on July 19 that it had arrested several members of what it called a “Hamas terror cell” accused of Mr. Rosenfeld’s killing and another shooting two days earlier.
Duma, a village of boxy, concrete homes, donkeys and roosters that is reachable only by rocky mountain roads, is very close to Shilo, a settlement near which Malachi Rosenfeld, 26, was fatally shot by Palestinian militants a month ago while he and four friends were driving home from a basketball game. The Israeli military announced on July 19 that it had arrested several members of what it called a “Hamas terror cell” accused of Mr. Rosenfeld’s murder and another shooting two days earlier. Yinon Magal, a member of the Israeli Parliament from the pro-settler Jewish Home faction, noted that Thursday was the 30th day since Mr. Rosenfeld’s death, a significant mourning milestone for religious Jews. “I suppose there is some sort of message here,” he said in a radio interview.
Hamas, the militant Palestinian movement, called for a “day of fury” Friday in response to the Dawabsheh baby’s killing, and local media reported some rioting and clashes with Israeli soldiers Friday afternoon in Hebron and Qalandiya, the main checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Besides “revenge,” there was more Hebrew graffiti at the site of the attack Friday in Duma that read, “Long live the Messiah king!” with a crown next to it.
Yinon Magal, a member of the Israeli Parliament from the pro-settler Jewish Home faction, noted that Thursday was the 30th day since Mr. Rosenfeld’s death, a significant mourning milestone for religious Jews. “I suppose there is some sort of message here,” he said in a radio interview. But he and leaders of his right-wing party were among an array of politicians who used the bluntest possible language to distance themselves from the arson. Mr. Magal and leaders of his right-wing party were among an array of politicians who used the bluntest possible language to distance themselves from the arson in Duma.
“This is not a Jewish act,” Mr. Magal said. “This is not a moral act. This is a terrible act. We do not do such things. This is not our way.” “This is not a Jewish act,” he said. “This is not a moral act. This is a terrible act. We do not do such things. This is not our way.”
Palestinians and their supporters questioned whether the perpetrators would be treated similarly to Palestinians who kill Israelis – whether, for example, their family homes would be demolished. Israel has long been criticized for not vigilantly investigating price-tag attacks or punishing their offenders, but Gilad Erdan, minister of internal security, said Friday that he was giving the Duma case “top priority” and that the suspects “should end their lives behind bars.” Palestinians and their supporters questioned whether the perpetrators would be treated similarly to Palestinians who kill Israelis. Israel has long been criticized for not vigilantly investigating price-tag attacks or punishing their offenders, but Gilad Erdan, minister of internal security, said Friday that he was giving the Duma case “top priority” and that the suspects “should end their lives behind bars.”
“A nation whose sons were burned in the Holocaust cannot allow its members to burn human beings,” Mr. Erdan, a leader of Mr. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud Party, said on the radio. “We have to drop everything and think about what we can do to ensure that events like this do not occur among us – and that if they do, the price paid will be very heavy indeed.” Mr. Netanyahu’s spokesman, Mark Regev, criticized Palestinian leader for blaming the Israeli government, saying that attacks by Palestinians on Israelis had not brought the same condemnation and that “there certainly has not been the police work to bring them to justice.”
In Duma, where the baby Ali was buried in a brief 2 p.m. funeral that drew about 1,000 mourners, relatives said the parents were first cousins in an arranged marriage who were quiet, religious, and prosperous by village standards. Their renovated two-bedroom home had a microwave, washing machine and air conditioner; on Friday, its drapes were still hanging, a small pink plastic milk holder stood near the ashy kitchen, a fly drowning inside. Hamas, the militant Palestinian movement, called for a “day of fury” Friday in response to the Duma firebombing, and local media reported some rioting and clashes with Israeli soldiers Friday afternoon in Hebron and Qalandiya, the main checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The father, Saad, has been earning 200 shekels a day – about $58 – working construction in a settlement. He listened to the Quran and liked to crack jokes with his close friends, but mostly kept to himself, relatives and neighbors said. The mother, Riham, earns about $800 a month at a nearby school. A charred photograph of the family showed a man in a neat blue shirt and beige pants holding the baby, in red, and a smiling woman in a pinkish head scarf and gray robe. Israeli soldiers and military police officers had rushed to Duma after the arson attack to interview witnesses and collect evidence, residents said. They checked cars on the roads leading in and out of the village.
“Nothing like this has ever happened to us before,” said Uday Dawabsheh, 22, who like many in the village shares the family’s last name. “We don’t have any problems with people.” Witnesses said that they saw four masked men in black clothing throw firebombs through the windows of two homes near the village entrance around 2 a.m. and that Duma residents had chased them toward the nearby settlement of Maale Efraim; two witnesses said they had seen two of the men standing over the burning bodies.
One relative, Ali Raqi, 22, said he saw smoke pluming from the house as he sat on his roof early Friday, trying to find a cool place to sleep during a heat wave that has gripped the area. “I ran toward the smoke,” he recalled. “I reached the house and I found Saad lying on the ground.” One relative of the Dawabsheh family, Ali Raqi, 22, said he saw smoke pluming from the house as he sat on his roof early Friday, trying to find a cool place to sleep during a heat wave that has gripped the area. “I ran toward the smoke,” he recalled. “I reached the house and I found Saad lying on the ground.”
Pointing to a concrete-covered hole in front of the house, he said: “Riham was there, by the well.” One of the children was near the door. “Riham told me, ‘I have a son, for the sake of God, help him,’ ” Mr. Raqi said. Another witness, Ibrahim Dawabsheh, who like many in the village shares the same last name, said he had seen the attackers.
“I tried to go in, but I couldn’t,” he continued. “I went on my stomach, I crawled on my stomach, but I couldn’t see. The fire was choking me. I had to go outside.” “The hardest thing for me, was that there were two burning people on the ground – and two people were just standing over them,” he said. “They didn’t even care that the child was still crying inside.”
Besides “revenge,” there was more Hebrew graffiti, black paint sprayed on a gray wall, that read, “Long live the Messiah king!” with a crown next to it. An adjacent home was also burned, but it was empty.Rashid Dawabsheh, 70, said it belonged to one of his sons, whose family had not come home Thursday night, for a reason he did not know.
“Thank God they didn’t, they would have gone too,” said Mr. Dawabsheh, a tall, wrinkled man who smoked a cigarette as he surveyed the scene.
Ali Dawabsheh, his hands and face stained black from being around the smoldering home, contorted into tears as he talked about his nephews and sister. He had seen her just the night before, watching television. Ahmad, the older boy, was precocious and prone to tantrums if anyone played with his toys, the uncle said; baby Ali, in contrast, was quiet and sweet.
When he heard about the fire, he rushed to the home and collapsed on the floor, weeping. “I knew that he had died,” he said of the baby.
After Friday’s midday prayers, men waited for the funeral to begin in a partially built home near the site.
“May God have revenge on them,” one said to another, echoing the Hebrew graffiti. “An innocent child! What fault did he bear?”