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{{Short description|Firebombing of a Palestinian home in 2015}} | |||
{{pp-extended|small=yes}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}} | |||
{{Infobox civilian attack | {{Infobox civilian attack | ||
| title = Duma arson attack | | title = Duma arson attack | ||
| image |
| image = Duma arson attack 1.jpg | ||
| caption = |
| caption = Dawabsheh family home after ignition | ||
| map = {{Location map | Palestinian territories | |||
| map = | |||
| width = 230 | |||
| location = ], Palestinian territories | |||
| float = center | |||
| target = | |||
| |
| label = Duma | ||
| |
| marksize = 8 | ||
| coordinates = {{coord|32|03|27|N|35|22|02|E|region:PS|display=inline,title}} | |||
| time-end = | |||
| timezone = | |||
| type = ] | |||
| fatalities = 3 | |||
| injuries = 1 | |||
| Unknown | |||
}} | }} | ||
| location = ], Palestine | |||
The '''Duma village arson attack''' refers to the firebombing of a ] family in late July 2015, resulting in the loss of life of three of the family members; 18-month-old toddler Ali Dawabsheh was burned alive in a fire, while both his parent died from their injuries within weeks.<ref name="timesofisrael150910"/> No charges have yet been filed in the case, though the ]i ] deem Jewish extremists are responsible for the arson.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| target = | |||
| date = 31 July 2015 | |||
| time-begin = | |||
| time-end = | |||
| timezone = | |||
| type = ] | |||
| fatalities = 3 | |||
| injuries = 1 | |||
| weapons = ] | |||
| motive = ] | |||
}} | |||
On 31 July 2015, ] a ] family home<ref>{{cite news |author1=Zion, Ilan Ben |author2=Gross, Judah Ari | date = 3 December 2015 | title = Israel Arrests Jewish Terror Suspects in Deadly Firebombing | newspaper = ] | url = http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-arrests-jewish-terror-suspects-in-deadly-firebombing/ | access-date = 25 December 2016 | quote = Police and Shin Bet security service agents recently arrested multiple Jewish terror suspects who may have been involved in the fatal firebombing of the Dawabsha family home in the Palestinian village of Duma… }}</ref> in late July 2015 in the village of ], killing three people; 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh was burned alive in the fire, while both his parents died from their injuries within weeks.<ref name="timesofisrael150910"/> On 3 January 2016, 21 year old ] Amiram Ben-Uliel was indicted for the murder, along with an Israeli minor, for participation in planning the murder. In addition, along with two others, they were both charged with one count of membership in a ] organization.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://megafon-news.co.il/asys/archives/247327|title=כתבי האישום בפרשת רצח דוואבשה – חשפו רשת טרור מסוכנת מאוד|author=מגפון|date=3 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4747710,00.html|title=Indictments filed against two Duma arson suspects, gag order lifted|work=ynet|date=3 January 2016|last1=Kimon |first1=Elisha Ben |last2=Morag |first2=Gilad |last3=Levy |first3=Elior }}</ref> | |||
In 2020, Ben-Uliel was convicted of three counts of ], two counts of ], three counts of ] and of ] to commit a racially motivated crime,<ref>], ] 19 May 2020.</ref> as part of a "terrorist act".<ref name="news.walla.co.il">, on ], 18 May 2018</ref> However, he was acquitted of the charge of being a member of a terror organization.<ref>{{cite web | title=Israeli Settler Found Guilty of Murdering Palestinian Family in 2015 Arson | website=The New York Times|first1=David M.|last1=Halbfinger|first2=Adam|last2=Rasgon| date=2020-05-18 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/world/middleeast/israel-amiram-ben-uliel-guilty.html | ref={{sfnref | The New York Times | 2020}} | access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/world/middleeast/israeli-settler-sentenced-firebomb-attack.html|title = Israeli Settler Gets 3 Life Sentences for Firebomb Attack on Family|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 14 September 2020|last1 = Rasgon|first1 = Adam}}</ref> He was sentenced to ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=2020-09-14|title=Israeli who killed Palestinian baby, parents gets life imprisonment|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://ca.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-duma-sentencing-idCAKBN2652BN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917034254/https://ca.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-duma-sentencing-idCAKBN2652BN|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 September 2020|access-date=2020-09-15}}</ref> | |||
An Israeli media ban prohibiting the publication of details of the investigation into the firebombing is currently in place.<ref>http://m.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Terror-cell-behind-Duma-attack-goes-way-beyond-Price-Tag-activists-415848#article=6018MTQxOTI4RDIwRDUyMkU1NDQ2NTg0NDE2QTc0MThEMEI=</ref> | |||
==Arson attack== | == Arson attack == | ||
] | |||
], on the wall of the house]] | ], on the wall of the house]] | ||
], on the wall of the house]] | |||
It emerged in investigations that the attack had apparently been planned in a cave called the "Red House" built from a previously existing Palestinian structure, on a site that was then turned into an ] called ''Yishuv HaDaat.'' According to ], the state still plans to legalize this same outpost, though it was stolen through threats and violence from its Palestinian owners. | |||
<ref> ] 3 January 2016.</ref> | |||
On 31 July, two family homes in |
On 31 July 2015, two family homes in Duma, a Palestinian village in the ], were firebombed by masked attackers. According to all reports, the first house was empty and they then went to a second house, where 18-month-old Ali Sa'ad Dawabsheh was burnt to death; his parents and 4-year-old brother were critically injured and rushed to Israeli hospitals, the father died of his burns several days later.<ref name=Maan8815>{{cite news | author = Ma-an Staff | date = 8 August 2015 | title = Father of Slain Palestinian Infant Dies from his Wounds | location = ], PSE | publisher = Ma'an News Agency | url = https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=766921 | access-date = 25 December 2016}}</ref><ref name=KhouryClashes>{{cite news|last1=Khoury|first1=Jack|title= Family of Slain Palestinian Infant Clings to Life, Clashes in West Bank|url=http://www.haaretz.com/beta/.premium-1.668973|access-date=6 August 2015|publisher=Haaretz|date=1 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33833400|title=West Bank arson: Dead Palestinian child's father dies of wounds|work=BBC News|date=8 August 2015|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> Five weeks later, the mother, Reham Dawabsheh, died of her injuries.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ali Dawabshe's Mother Succumbs to Wounds Sustained in West Bank Arson|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.674848|publisher=Haaretz|date=7 September 2015}}</ref> | ||
According to local accounts, the family had returned home from a visit with relatives at around 1:30 |
According to local accounts, the family had returned home from a visit with relatives at around 1:30 AM, and sometime after they went to bed, between 2:00 and 4:00 AM,<ref name="WSJ31715" >Noga Tarnopolsky, '']'' 31 July 2015.</ref> two masked assailants smashed windows and threw ]s into the sleeping quarters. The ] stated that windows had been smashed before the firebombs were lobbed in.<ref name="NYT3172015" /> Another report states that the house itself was doused and set alight.<ref> ] 31 July 2015.</ref> Neighbors stated that both parents emerged from their home enveloped in flames, and that two masked men were observed fleeing the scene.<ref name="WSJ31715" /> The news venue ], however, reported that the torched houses were in the middle of the town, such that it would not have been easy for outside intruders to "make a getaway."<ref name=Hass>{{cite news|last1=Hass|first1=Amira|title=Relative of Arson Attack Victims: I Saw Two Masked Men Standing by as They Burned|url=http://www.haaretz.com/beta/.premium-1.668947|access-date=9 August 2015|publisher=HaaretzGetaway|date=31 July 2015}}</ref> | ||
The family's neighbor Ibrahim Dawabsheh, a construction worker in the Shilo settlement, reported that he heard his neighbours' screams, and on running to the site, saw |
The family's neighbor Ibrahim Dawabsheh, a construction worker in the Shilo settlement, reported that he heard his neighbours' screams, and on running to the site, saw two men standing over Reham and Saad's burning bodies. They followed him when he retreated, until he was joined by his brother.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news | author = Shuttleworth, Kate & Zonszein, Mairav | date = 31 July 2015 | title = Palestinian Child Dead in Suspected Jewish Extremist Arson Attack on Home | newspaper =] | location = London | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/child-dies-after-suspected-jewish-extremist-attack-on-palestinian-home | access-date = 25 December 2016}}</ref> The mother, Riham (27), herself engulfed by flames,<ref name=KhouryClashes/><ref name="NYT3172015" /> according to her brother-in-law, grabbed a blanket in which she thought her youngest child was sleeping, and fled outside only to realize the child was not in the blanket.<ref name=KhouryClashes/> She had third degree burns over 90% of her body,<ref name=Maan8815/> and died on 6 September 2015.<ref>Ido Efrati, ], ] 7 September 2016.</ref> According to one report, the father, Sa'ad, managed to carry their son Ahmed, age 4, outside,{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} while sustaining burns over 80% of his body.<ref name=Maan8815/> Another version reported that Ahmad was rescued by their neighbor, Ibrahim Dawabsheh.<ref name="Guardian" /> After undergoing treatment at the Soroka Medical Center in ],<ref>{{cite news |author1= Curiel, Ilana |author2=Elizera, Rotem |author3=Levy, Elior | date = 8 August 2015 | title = Father of Slain Palestinian Baby Dies of His Wounds | newspaper = ] | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4688675,00.html | access-date= 25 December 2016}}</ref> Sa'ad Dawabsheh died of his wounds on 8 August,<ref name=Maan8815/> | ||
Ahmad, who survived,{{verify source|date=December 2016}} suffered serious burns over 60% of his body.<ref name=KhouryClashes/><ref> ] 31 July 2015</ref><ref>Chaim Levinson, ] 4 August 2015.</ref>{{update after|2016|12|25}} | |||
== Investigation == | |||
The Israeli investigators and international observers immediately suspected militant Jews of committing the attack.<ref name="NYT3172015" >Diaa Hadid and Jodi Rudoren, ] 31 July 2015.</ref><ref name="USNEWS" >Mohammed Daraghmeh,Tia Goldenberg, ] 31 July 2015.</ref><ref name="Goldberg" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-07-31/palestinian-toddler-killed-in-arson-named-as-ali-dawabshe/|title=Palestinian toddler killed in suspected arson attack|date=31 July 2015|publisher=ITV News|accessdate=5 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="Lahav Harkov "/> | |||
==Victims== | |||
Israeli police initially suspected that the arson was a ] attack by extremist Israeli settlers; some speculated that it might have been undertaken in retaliation for the demolition by the IDF of illegal Jewish settlement structures in ], 'the flagship of the ideological settler movement,'<ref name="Goldberg" /> some time earlier.<ref name=Martin>{{cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Patrick|title=Palestinian child’s death in terrorist attack stirs call to end violence|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/west-bank-on-edge-as-palestinian-toddler-killed-in-arson-attack-laid-to-rest/article25798195/|accessdate=2 August 2015|publisher=Globe and Mail|date=31 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
* 'Ali Sa'ed Muhammad Dawabsheh, age 1, burnt to death when home was torched, 31 July.<ref name = btselem>{{cite web | author = BTs Staff | date = 25 December 2016 | title=Media, Statistics: Palestinians Killed by Israeli Civilians in the West Bank, After Operation Cast Lead; 2015, July | website =] | format = online resource | location = Jerusalem, ISR] | publisher= [B'Tselem (BTs), The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories | url=http://www.btselem.org/statistics/fatalities/after-cast-lead/by-date-of-event/westbank/palestinians-killed-by-israeli-civilians | access-date=25 December 2016}}</ref> | |||
* Sa'ed Muhammad Hassan Dawabsheh, age 32, fatally wounded when home was torched, succumbing to third-degree burns over 80% of his body, on 8 August.<ref name = btselem/><ref name=Maan8815/><ref>The Ma'an source cited gives Mr. Dawabsheh's age as 30 years.</ref> | |||
* Riham Hussein Hassan Dawabsheh, age 27, fatally wounded when home was torched, dying on 7 September.<ref name = btselem/> | |||
==Investigation== | |||
In the Hebrew graffiti, the usual signature of "price tag” (Heb: "Tag Mechir") is lacking, and in its stead the slogans "Revenge," and "Long live King Messiah," (Heb: "Yechi Hamelech Hamashiach ”) were scrawled. The latter is the motto of the messianist wing of the ].<ref name=Goldberg>{{cite news|last1=Goldberg|first1=J.J.|title=Why Jewish Terror is Different This Time|url=http://forward.com/opinion/318290/why-jewish-terror-is-different-this-time/|accessdate=4 August 2015|publisher=]|date=1 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=LevinsonGraffiti>{{cite news|last1=Levinson|first1=Chaim|title=Police Seek Public's Help in Murder of Duma Toddler|url=http://www.haaretz.com/beta/.premium-1.669593|accessdate=4 August 2015|publisher=Haaretz|date=4 August 2015}}</ref> In addition, a resident told a reporter that he saw attackers fleeing towards the Israeli settlement of ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Palestinian infant burned to death in West Bank arson attack; IDF blames 'Jewish terror'|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/1.668871|publisher=Haaretz|date=July 31, 2015}}</ref> Police requested information from the public as they sought to identify the arsonists.<ref name=LevinsonGraffiti/> | |||
From the first day, the Israeli authorities imposed a press embargo on the subject, banning the media from publishing any details or developments related to the investigation. On 31 August 2015, the embargo was extended by a month.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925072647/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/20766-israel-extends-media-blackout-on-deadly-arson-attack-%20developments |date=25 September 2015 }}. The Middle East Monitor, 1 September 2015</ref> | |||
The Israeli investigators and international observers immediately suspected Jewish extremists of committing the attack.<ref name="NYT3172015" >Diaa Hadid and Jodi Rudoren, '']'' 31 July 2015.</ref><ref name="USNEWS" >Mohammed Daraghmeh,Tia Goldenberg, ] 31 July 2015.</ref><ref name="Goldberg" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-07-31/palestinian-toddler-killed-in-arson-named-as-ali-dawabshe/|title=Palestinian toddler killed in suspected arson attack|date=31 July 2015|publisher=ITV News|access-date=5 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="Lahav Harkov "/> Several young men alleged to have been instigators were not ] but came from American immigrant families.<ref name="Hirschhorn" >Sara Hirschhorn,, '']'', 4 September 2015:'All available evidence suggests that the blaze was a deliberate act of settler terrorism.'</ref> A manual of incitement written by ], an Israeli from ], entitled "Kingdom of Evil," which provides details on how to set fire to mosques, churches and Palestinian homes, has also been mentioned in connection with the Duma attack.<ref>Jamal Kanj ] 13 September 2015.</ref> In February 2016 Orbach was convicted of sedition, the first time an Israeli court has found someone guilty of that charge in the last decade.<ref> the Times of Israel, 19 February 2016</ref> | |||
When suspicion fell on ] ], ] of the ] alleged that settlers were being "falsely accused" of carrying out the attack, and he instead accused it as being the work of other Palestinians, as part of "an 18-year-old feud between Arab clans" in the village.<ref name="Lahav Harkov ">Lahav Harkov, ] 6 August 2015.</ref> Israeli Knesset member ], referencing a later separate fire at the house of a brother of Saad Dawabsheh that the Israeli and Palestinian authorities have reported to be unrelated to the arson attack, called for an investigation as he believed that the second fire may indicate that the arson was not committed by Israeli extremists.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hartman|first1=Ben|title=Electrical blaze hits Dawabsha home in Duma|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Electrical-blaze-hits-Dawabsha-home-in-Duma-413160|accessdate=27 August 2015|publisher=Jerusalem Post|date=25 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
Israeli police initially suspected that the arson was a ] attack by "extremist Israeli settlers"; some speculated that it might have been undertaken in retaliation for the demolition by the IDF of Jewish settlement structures in ], 'the flagship of the ideological settler movement,'<ref name="Goldberg" /> some time earlier.<ref name=Martin>{{cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Patrick|title=Palestinian child's death in terrorist attack stirs call to end violence|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/west-bank-on-edge-as-palestinian-toddler-killed-in-arson-attack-laid-to-rest/article25798195/|access-date=2 August 2015|publisher=Globe and Mail|date=31 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
In the Hebrew graffiti, the usual signature of "price tag" ({{langx|he|תג מחיר|tag mechir}}) is lacking, and in its stead the slogans "Revenge," and "Long live King Messiah," ({{langx|he|יחי המלך המשיח|yechi hamelech hamashiach}}) were scrawled. The latter is the motto of the messianist wing of the ].<ref name=Goldberg>{{cite news|last1=Goldberg|first1=J.J.|title=Why Jewish Terror is Different This Time|url=http://forward.com/opinion/318290/why-jewish-terror-is-different-this-time/|access-date=4 August 2015|publisher=]|date=1 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=LevinsonGraffiti>{{cite news|last1=Levinson|first1=Chaim|title=Police Seek Public's Help in Murder of Duma Toddler|url=http://www.haaretz.com/beta/.premium-1.669593|access-date=4 August 2015|publisher=Haaretz|date=4 August 2015}}</ref> In addition, a resident told a reporter that he saw attackers fleeing towards the Israeli settlement of ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Palestinian infant burned to death in West Bank arson attack; IDF blames 'Jewish terror'|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/1.668871|publisher=Haaretz|date=31 July 2015}}</ref> Police requested information from the public as they sought to identify the arsonists.<ref name=LevinsonGraffiti/> | |||
On September, 8 a senior ] officer said to media, that Israel “know unequivocally that this is an act of ]."<ref>http://www.jta.org/2015/09/08/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/senior-idf-officer-duma-attack-was-definitely-jewish-terrorism</ref> | |||
On September, 9 Israeli Defense Minister ] issued a statement that said "there is a high probability that those responsible for the attack in Duma are part of a very extreme group of Jews" but that there is not yet enough evidence to arrest any suspects.<ref name="jpost150911">{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-doesnt-have-enough-evidence-to-arrest-Duma-arsonists-Yaalon-says-415968|title=Israel doesn't have enough evidence to arrest Duma arsonists, Ya'alon says|publisher=Jerusalem Post|date=11 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="timesofisrael150910">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/yaalon-we-know-who-perpetrated-the-duma-attack/|title=Ya’alon said to say Israel knows who perpetrated Duma attack|date=2015-09-10|publisher=timesofisrael.com|accessdate=12 September 2015}}</ref> Ya'alon also told a group of Likud activists that the identities of the arsonists are known to the defense establishment but that charges would not yet be brought to protect the identity of their sources.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/.premium-1.675422|title=Israel Has Identified Duma Arson Suspects but Won’t File Charges Yet, Says Defense Minister|date=10 September 2015|publisher=Ha'aretz}}</ref> Later Ya’alon clarified that ssecurity forces have only a “general idea” of who is responsible for the deadly firebombing attack ... calling on reporters to take a wait and see approach to the case".<ref name="timesofisrael150910-2">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/defense-minister-denies-israel-knows-who-killed-the-dawabshas/|title=Defense minister denies Israel knows who killed the Dawabshas|date=2015-09-10|publisher=timesofisrael.com|accessdate=12 September 2015|archiveurl=}}</ref> Ya'alon said the attack hurt the state of Israel and the settlement movement specifically.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ya'alon: we know who are the assailants at Duma|issue=994|publisher=Makor Rishon|date=September 11, 2015|page=8}}</ref> | |||
When suspicion fell on ] Jewish extremists, ] of the ] alleged that Jews were being "falsely accused" of carrying out the attack, and he instead accused it as being the work of other Palestinians, as part of "an 18-year-old feud between Arab clans" in the village.<ref name="Lahav Harkov ">Lahav Harkov, '']'' 6 August 2015.</ref> Israeli Knesset member ], referencing a later separate fire at the house of a brother of Saad Dawabsheh that the Israeli and Palestinian authorities have reported to be unrelated to the arson attack, called for an investigation as he believed that the second fire may indicate that the arson was not committed by Israeli extremists.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hartman|first1=Ben|title=Electrical blaze hits Dawabsha home in Duma|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Electrical-blaze-hits-Dawabsha-home-in-Duma-413160|access-date=27 August 2015|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=25 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
Rabbi ] claimed on 30 August 2015 on ] that "The way of terror is not our way". Later, he claimed; "only someone who lacks knowledge in the nuances of the religious community would make such a mistake and assume that "Tag Mechir" activists will write "Yechi Hamelech Hamashiach" ("Long live King Messiah").<ref>{{cite news|last1=Eliyahu|first1=Shmuel|title=The way of terror is not our way|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4695842,00.html|access-date=30 August 2015|work=Ynet|date=30 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
On 8 September 2015, a senior ] officer told the media, that Israel "know unequivocally that this is an act of ]."<ref>, 8 September 2015, JTA</ref> On 9 September 2015, Israeli Defense Minister ] issued a statement that said "there is a high probability that those responsible for the attack in Duma are part of a very extreme group of Jews" but that there is not yet enough evidence to arrest any suspects.<ref name="timesofisrael150910">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/yaalon-we-know-who-perpetrated-the-duma-attack/|title=Ya'alon said to say Israel knows who perpetrated Duma attack|date=10 September 2015|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="jpost150911">{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-doesnt-have-enough-evidence-to-arrest-Duma-arsonists-Yaalon-says-415968|title=Israel doesn't have enough evidence to arrest Duma arsonists, Ya'alon says|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=11 September 2015}}</ref> Ya'alon also told a group of Likud activists that the identities of the arsonists are known to the defense establishment but that charges would not yet be brought to protect the identity of their sources.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/.premium-1.675422|title=Israel Has Identified Duma Arson Suspects but Won't File Charges Yet, Says Defense Minister|date=10 September 2015|publisher=Ha'aretz}}</ref> Later, Ya'alon clarified that security forces have only a "general idea" of who is responsible for the deadly firebombing attack ... calling on reporters to take a wait and see approach to the case".<ref name="timesofisrael150910-2">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/defense-minister-denies-israel-knows-who-killed-the-dawabshas/|title=Defense minister denies Israel knows who killed the Dawabshas|date=10 September 2015|publisher=timesofisrael.com|access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref> Ya'alon said the attack hurt the state of Israel and the settlement movement specifically.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ya'alon: we know who are the assailants at Duma|issue=994|publisher=Makor Rishon|date=11 September 2015|page=8}}</ref> According to Sara Hirschhorn, settler rabbis and the leaders of American immigrant communities in the West Bank have been muted in their responses to the detention of suspects associated with their communities.<ref name="Hirschhorn" /> | |||
On 3 December 2015, it was cleared for publication that a number of Jewish suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack.<ref name="timesofisrael.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-arrests-jewish-terror-suspects-in-deadly-firebombing/|title=Israel arrests Jewish terror suspects in deadly firebombing|work=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4734489,00.html|title=Suspects arrested for ties to Jewish terror attack in Duma|work=Ynet|first1=Yoav|last1=Zitun|first2=Roy|last2=Yanovsky|date=3 December 2015|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> The UN envoy criticized the "slow progress" in Israel's investigation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.689716|title=UN Envoy 'Concerned' at Israel's Failure to Catch Murderers of West Bank Family|date=2 December 2015|work=]|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
'']'' reported that the suspects were subjected to harsh interrogation methods after the investigation hit a dead end. According to unnamed sources, Israeli Attorney-General ] approved the use of these methods, and Prime Minister ] was not informed of this until after the fact. In response to the allegations, Deputy Attorney-General Raz Nizri met with the detainees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/top-justice-official-said-to-visit-duma-suspects-amid-torture-claims/|title=Top justice official visits Duma suspects amid torture claims|work=The Times of Israel|date=27 December 2015|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
On 11 December 2015, one of the suspects was released to house arrest.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/duma-suspect-released-to-house-arrest/|title=Duma suspect released to house arrest|date=11 December 2015|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
Despite acknowledging that the attack was "clearly a Jewish" one, and that Israeli authorities knew "who is responsible" for it, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that there is "not enough evidence" to detain or prosecute the suspects.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.691924|title=Israeli Defense Minister: Not Enough Evidence to Prosecute West Bank Arson Suspects|date=12 December 2015|publisher=Haaretz}}</ref> The comments were decried by Palestinian rights groups, who noticed the swiftness of Israeli military actions against Palestinian suspects of attacks against Israeli targets, and accused the Israeli government of condoning settler violence.<ref name=alj>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/rights-groups-decry-israels-comments-dawabsheh-case-151216080434350.html|title=Rights groups decry Israel's comments on Dawabsheh case|date=16 December 2015|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
On 15 December, the Israeli High Court of Justice denied a petition that the government take immediate "legal steps against the Dawabsheh family's murders".<ref name=alj/> | |||
On the evening of the 17'th of December 2015, ] reported <ref>{{cite web|url=http://reshet.tv/News_n/heb/news/Politics/Security/articlenews,199649/|title=חדשות 2: קמפיין רשת: "לחשוף את שמות עצורי דומא"|author=Reshet|work=Reshet}}</ref> about a petition to leak the names of arrested people, within a few hours. "We are all with Zionist detainees" ("כולנו עם עצורי ציון"), in other sources "Duma Youth" ("נערי דומא"), leaked 100 names of people that had been allegedly held by security services giving three categories (administrative detention, custody and under active integration by the Shabak). Rotter News reported that the list is not credible as they believe the names are not connected to the investigation.<ref>{{cite news|title=נוער דומא מפרסם את רשימת החשודים של השב כ |date=18 December 2015|work=rotter news}}</ref> | |||
== Legal == | |||
On 3 January 2016, two suspects were indicted. One of them, 21-year-old Amiram Ben-Uliel, was charged with murder. The second, a minor whose identity was withheld due to regulations exempting minors suspected of criminal acts from being publicly named, was charged as an accessory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/two-suspected-jewish-extremists-indicted-for-duma-murders/|title=Jewish man charged with July murders of Palestinian family in Duma|work=The Times of Israel|date=3 January 2016|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> The motive, as stated in the indictment, was revenge for the murder of the young Israeli ] by Palestinians, near Duma about a month earlier.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Duma-indictments-expected-today-439195|title=Amiram Ben Uliel and minor indicted in Duma terror attack|work=The Jerusalem Post|first=Yonah|last=Jeremy Bob|date=3 January 2016|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/205901|title='This is a slap in the face to memory of my son' - Inside Israel - News - Arutz Sheva|work=Arutz Sheva|date=4 January 2016 }}</ref> The indictments also included charges of membership in a terror organization, ], who reportedly was founded in October 2013, and aimed to carry out terror acts against Palestinians, stir chaos in Israel, and bring about war between Arabs and Jews. The purpose was to cause the collapse of Israel's democracy to make way for a state ruled by a Jewish king according to ] (Jewish religious) law.<ref name=nana10>{{cite web|url=http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID%3D1167383 |title=המרד: כך התכוונו פעילי הטרור היהודי להפיל את המדינה ואת השלטון |access-date=5 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127152419/http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=1167383 |archive-date=27 January 2016 }}</ref><ref name="walla.co.il">{{cite web|url=http://news.walla.co.il/item/2921596|title=השיטה של פעילי "המרד" היהודי: פיגועים שיתסיסו את הפלסטינים|work=וואלה! חדשות|date=3 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="ynet.co.il">{{cite news|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4747788,00.html|title=ynet המרד והמלך: האידיאולוגיה של הטרור היהודי - חדשות|work=ynet|date=3 January 2016|last1=זיתון |first1=יואב }}</ref><ref name="al-monitor.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/iw/contents/articles/originals/2016/01/hilltop-youth-givonim-jewish-terror-shin-bet-investigation.html|title=סופו של מרד הגבעונים - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East|work=Al-Monitor}}</ref> Although The Revolt has no strict hierarchy, Shin Bet claims that the leader of the Revolt is ], grandson of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/world/middleeast/revolt-network-foments-new-brand-of-jewish-terror-in-israel.html|title=Israel Faces New Brand of Terrorism, This Time From Young Settlers|work=The New York Times|first=Isabel|last=Kershner|date=11 January 2016|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
Concurrently, the ] Magistrate's Court sentenced right-wing activist Haim Auerbach for two years in prison for publishing the booklet 'kingdom of evil', detailing how to harm Arabs and giving guidance how to set mosques on fire, and in the opinion of the judges, there is a link between the publication of the document and the murder of the Dawabsheh family in Duma village.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bhol.co.il/news/205493|trans-title= Two years in prison for far-right activist Moshe Chaim Orbach |title=עונש חסר תקדים לפעיל ימין קיצוני - אקטואליה - חדשות - בחדרי חרדים|work=Behadrey Haredim (BHOL) of Behadrei News Ltd., ultra-Orthodox website|date= 17 March 2016 }}</ref> | |||
On 1 June 2016, Meir Ettinger was released from a 10-month detention while being restricted from travel to certain locations and from communicating with 93 individuals.<ref>{{cite news |last=Levinson |first=Chaim |date=1 June 2016 |title=Top Jewish Terror Suspect Meir Ettinger Freed From Israeli Detention |url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.722586 |newspaper=Haaretz |location=Israel/Palestine |access-date=8 June 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bachner |first=Michael |date=1 June 2016 |title=Right-Wing Activist Meir Ettinger Released from Administrative Detention After 10 Months |url=http://tpsnews.co.il/articles/right-wing-activist-meir-ettinger-released-from-administrative-detention-after-10-months/ |newspaper=Tazpit Press Service (TPS) |location=Israel/Palestine |access-date=8 June 2016 |archive-date=29 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829025030/http://tpsnews.co.il/articles/right-wing-activist-meir-ettinger-released-from-administrative-detention-after-10-months/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
In June 2018, the Lod District Court accepted some of the defense's claims and ruled out confessions obtained "under torture." However, it confirmed another confession, as well as a ] by Amiram Ben-Uliel, and findings of a "dubbing exercise" of the minor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.walla.co.il/item/3166913|title=תיק הרצח בדומא: הודאות הנאשמים שנגבו תחת עינויים נפסלו - וואלה! חדשות|date=19 June 2018}}</ref> In July 2018 one of the defendants, who had confessed to four arson attempts and two acts of vandalism and hate graffiti against Arabs, was released on house arrest after evidence he gave was ruled to have been extracted under "torture."<ref>Yotam Berger, ] 12 July 2018.</ref> | |||
In May 2019, the former minor in the case, now an adult, made a plea deal in which he confessed, and is expected to be convicted for conspiring to commit a crime inspired by racism, the crime being arson, not murder. The new indictment includes a determination that the youth belonged to a terroristic organization, Hamered (The Revolt), which he denies. In exchange the prosecution undertook not to ask for a sentence exceeding 5 and a half years of imprisonment under. The indictment states that he was not present on the night when the crime was committed.<ref> ] May 12, 2019</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Roi|last=Rubinstein|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5507921,00.html|title=Jewish terror defendant strikes plea deal in 2015 murder of Palestinian family|work=]|date=12 May 2019|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref><ref>Avishai Grinzaig, Tovah Lazaroff, , '']'' 13 May 2019</ref> Nasr Dawabsheh, a spokesperson for the family, denounced the deal as proving "complicity of the Israeli judiciary in this horrible crime … This deal is unfair and encourages the settler gangs to commit more crimes."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.palestinechronicle.com/dawabsheh-family-denounces-israeli-plea-deal-in-2015-arson-attack/|title=Dawabsheh Family Denounces Israeli Plea Deal in 2015 Arson Attack|website=The Palestine Chronicle|date=14 May 2019}}</ref> | |||
===Conviction and sentence=== | |||
In May 2020, Amiram Ben-Uliel was convicted by the Lod District Court of three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and two counts of arson, as part of a "terrorist act".<ref name="news.walla.co.il"/> However, he was acquitted of charges of membership of a terror organisation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Magid |first1=Jacob |title=Jewish extremist convicted of killing 3 Palestinian family members in 2015 |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremist-convicted-of-killing-3-palestinian-family-members-in-2015/ |access-date=18 May 2020 |work=] |date=18 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518104031/https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-extremist-convicted-of-killing-3-palestinian-family-members-in-2015/ |archive-date=18 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Israeli settler found guilty of murder in arson attack on Palestinian family |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-duma-verdict/israeli-settler-found-guilty-of-murder-in-arson-attack-on-palestinian-family-idUSKBN22U0L5 |access-date=18 May 2020 |work=] |date=18 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518104228/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-duma-verdict/israeli-settler-found-guilty-of-murder-in-arson-attack-on-palestinian-family-idUSKBN22U0L5 |archive-date=18 May 2020}}</ref> | |||
In September 2020, Ben-Uliel was sentenced to three life terms for murder, 17 years for attempted murder, and 10 years for arson.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=Hsent>{{cite news | first=Hagar|last=Shezaf| title = Israeli Murderer of Palestinian Family Gets Three Consecutive Life Sentences |newspaper = Haaretz |date = 14 September 2020|access-date=16 November 2022| url = https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-convicted-of-killing-palestinian-family-gets-three-life-sentences-1.9153783}}</ref> The minor who had been convicted of membership of a terrorist organization and involvement in planning the murders was sentenced to 42 months imprisonment and considered to have already served 32 months.<ref name=Hminor>{{cite news |title= Minor Involved in Planning of Torching Palestinian Family's Home Gets 3.5 Years |first=Hagar|last=Shezaf|work=Haaretz |date= 16 September 2020|access-date=16 November 2022|url= https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-minor-involved-in-planning-palestinian-family-s-murder-gets-3-5-years-1.9160734}}</ref> | |||
In August 2024 it was reported by ''Haaretz'' that Ben-Uliel has been receiving visits from Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi, which is unusual for such a prisoner. Yaakobi has been working to improve conditions for Ben-Uliel, as well as other Jewish prisoners convicted of violence against Palestinians, ever since far-right Knesset member ] became ] at the end of December 2023. Among the perks Ben-Uliel has since gained are "emotional support" calls with extremist Rabbi ] and various items and books for the performing of religious rituals.<ref name=ite /> At the end of the month, Ben-Uliel was released from solitary confinement and placed in the religious wing of the prison, as previously demanded by his supporters.<ref name=ite>{{cite news |title= Israeli Prisons Chief Reportedly Visited Palestinian Family's Murderer in Prison|work=Haaretz |date= 25 August 2024|access-date=27 August 2024|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-08-25/ty-article/.premium/israeli-prisons-chief-reportedly-visited-palestinian-familys-murderer-in-prison/00000191-85fc-dda4-a7ff-d5fed8550000}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Israeli court eases conditions for settler who burnt Palestinian family in West Bank alive|work=Quds News Network|date= 30 August 2024|url=https://qudsnen.co/?p=47195}}</ref>] Knesset member ] stated that Ben-Uliel is an innocent 'saint' whose life is one of holiness and piety, and whose suffering in prison is on behalf of all the Israeli people.<ref>Yofi Tirosh ] 2 October 2024 </ref> | |||
==Taunting of murder victims, relatives== | |||
==="Wedding of Hate"=== | |||
In December 2015, Israeli police began investigating a video of a Jewish wedding in Jerusalem celebrating the marriage of a person known to have been involved in ], in which guests are shown stabbing a photo of the toddler, Ali Dawabsheh, who had died in the Duma arson attack. The same video contained scenes of guests, armed with guns, knives and Molotov cocktails, chanting a song with the words from the book of ], "O God, that I may be this once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes", replacing "Philistines" with "Palestinians".<ref name=guard>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/24/video-jewish-extremists-mocking-death-of-toddler-wedding-israel|title=Israeli PM condemns video of Jewish extremists celebrating toddler's death|date=24 December 2015|work=The Guardian|first=Peter|last=Beaumont|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref> A lawyer for the defendants in the case, Attorney ], now Minister of National Security, was also present and later said "No one realized these were photos of a member of the Dawabsheh family" - talking of the toddler photo which was stabbed and then burnt by wedding guests. Such scenes are reported to be typical of many such weddings.<ref name=guard /><ref>Elisha Ben Kimon, Elior Levy, Attila Somfalvi, ] 24 December 2015.</ref> | |||
In October 2016, an indictment for alleged incitement to violence or terror was filed against five minors who participated in the taunting. One of the minors was additionally charged with deliberate property damage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Berger |first1=Yotam |title=Five Minors From 'Wedding of Hate' to Be Tried, Court Rules |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-five-minors-from-wedding-of-hate-to-be-tried-court-rules-1.6072145 |website=Haaretz |access-date=26 March 2019 |language=en |date=9 May 2018}}</ref> In October 2018, state prosecutors claimed to have lost video evidence of the taunting. {{ill|Honenu|he|חננו}} issued a joint statement by the defendants' attorneys, saying, "The loss casts doubt on the ability to prosecute the case."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Winer |first1=Stuart |title=State prosecutors admit losing original video of anti-Arab 'hate wedding' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/state-prosecutors-admit-losing-original-video-of-anti-arab-hate-wedding/ |website=The Times of Israel |access-date=26 March 2019 |date=22 October 2018}}</ref> | |||
===Grandfather taunted outside court=== | |||
Hussein Dawabsheh, the grandfather, was taunted by Jewish settlers outside the court proceedings who were supportive of the defendant. They chanted in Arabic ''"Where's Ali? There's no Ali. Ali is burned. On the fire. Ali is on the grill"'' and ''"Where is Ali? Where is Riham? Where is Saad? It's too bad Ahmed didn't burn as well."'' Police and court officials present did not interfere. Israeli Arab parliamentarian ] put up as video capturing the incident.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ofir|first=Jonathan|url=http://mondoweiss.net/2018/06/settlers-celebrate-palestinian/|title=Ali is on the grill!' Israeli settlers celebrate burning of Palestinian baby|work=]|date=21 June 2018|access-date=16 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lukash|first1=Alexandra|last2=Cohen|first2=Nir|url= https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5292359,00.html|title=Settler youth taunt Dawabsheh grandfather outside court|work=]|date=20 June 2018|access-date=16 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Berger|first=Yotam|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-right-wing-extremists-protest-west-bank-arson-murder-trial-1.6196907|title=Right-wing Extremists Protest West Bank Arson Murder Trial: 'Your Grandson's on the Grill|work=]|date=20 June 2018|access-date=16 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
==Response== | ==Response== | ||
The ], the biggest party within the ], held the Israeli government "fully responsible for the brutal assassination" of the child and said that, "This is a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to ]".<ref>{{cite news|title=Palestinian fury as 'Jewish settler' arson attack kills child|publisher=BBC News|date=31 July 2015|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33729281}}</ref> | |||
On 31 July Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed "shock and horror" at an arson attack telling him that "it's upon us to together fight terror, no matter which side perpetrates it".<ref name="Haaretz150731">{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/beta/.premium-1.668880|title=Netanyahu Condemns Fatal West Bank Arson Attack, Calling It 'terrorism'|author=Barak Ravid, Jack Khoury, Gili Cohen, Nir Hasson and Chaim Levinson|date=Jul 31, 2015|publisher=Haaretz|accessdate=7 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
The ] and ] condemned the attack and the U.S also urged "all sides to maintain calm and avoid escalating tensions in the wake of this tragic incident."<ref>, Jul 31, Haaretz</ref> In the aftermath of the incident, it was noted that the family was not entitled to compensation for the terror attack, and calls have been made to extend to Palestinian victims of Jewish terrorism compensation which so far is reserved exclusively for Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism.<ref>Revital Hovel, ] 11 August 2015.</ref> | |||
On 31 July 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed "shock and horror" at an arson attack telling him that "it's upon us to together fight terror, no matter which side perpetrates it".<ref name="Haaretz150731">{{cite news | url=http://www.haaretz.com/beta/.premium-1.668880 | title=Netanyahu Condemns Fatal West Bank Arson Attack, Calling It 'Terrorism' |author1= Ravid, Barak |author2=Khoury, Jack |author3=Cohen, Gili |author4=Hasson, Nir |author5=Levinson, Chaim | date=31 July 2015 | newspaper = ] | access-date=7 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
The European Union and U.S. condemned the attack and the U.S also urged "all sides to maintain calm and avoid escalating tensions in the wake of this tragic incident."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.668911|title=EU, U.S. State Department Condemn 'vicious' West Bank Arson Attack|work=Haaretz|first1=Barak|last1=Ravid|first2=Jack|last2=Khoury|date=31 July 2015|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> Israeli President ] stood out among Jewish Israeli politicians for his condemnation of Jewish terror, for which he received a slew of death threats on social media by Israelis who additionally called him a "traitor" and "Arab terrorist".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/08/03/israeli-president-flooded-death-threats-condemning-jewish-terror/31059657/|title=Israeli president flooded with death threats for condemning 'Jewish terror'|date=3 August 2015|work=]}}</ref> | |||
In the aftermath of the incident, it was noted that the family was not entitled to compensation for the terror attack, and calls have been made to extend to Palestinian victims of Jewish terrorism compensation which so far is reserved exclusively for Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism.<ref>Revital Hovel, ] 11 August 2015.</ref> That Ahmad Dawabsheh, the 6-year-old who is the sole survivor of the arson, is not entitled to compensation was reiterated in April 2017 by Defense Minister ] in response to a request from Joint (Arab) List MK ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Liberman: No compensation for Palestinian child firebombed by Jewish terrorists|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/liberman-no-compensation-for-palestinian-child-firebombed-by-settlers/|date=30 April 2017|website=The Times of Israel|first=Raoul|last=Wootliff|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
] stated that Israeli condemnations would remain mere rhetoric if such attacks were allowed to continue, noting that in the past three years nine Palestinian homes had been subject to firebombing and no one has yet to be incriminated in any of the cases.<ref>{{cite web|first=Harriet|last=Sherwood|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/israel-talk-is-cheap-price-tag-violence|title=Israeli government's talk is cheap on 'price tag' violence|work=The Guardian|date=31 July 2015|access-date=9 November 2022}}</ref> ], ex-head of the ] intelligence agency, reflecting on Israel's response to such attacks, stated that an anarchistic state was being formed in southern West Bank which was violent and developing racist ideologies and that these are being handled tolerantly by the Israeli judicial system. He claimed that, in this part of the West Bank, 'law enforcement is shockingly weak towards Jews.'<ref> ] 8 August 2015.</ref> According to the UN, since the beginning of 2015 at least 120 settler attacks have been documented in West Bank, and ] statistics suggest over 92.6% of Palestinian complaints lodged with Israeli security forces never led to charges being filed.<ref> ] 31 July 2015.</ref> | |||
Palestinians responded to the arson with large protests that resulted in violent confrontation with the Israeli forces.<ref name=Moore>{{cite news|last1=Moore|first1=Jack|title=Hamas Calls For 'Day of Rage' After Arson Attack Kills Palestinian Baby|url=http://europe.newsweek.com/hamas-calls-day-rage-after-arson-attack-kills-palestinian-baby-331037|access-date=5 August 2015|publisher=Newsweek|date=31 July 2015}}</ref><ref name=Frantzman>{{cite news|last1=Frantzman|first1=Seth|title=Security forces deployed to quell riot near Duma|url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Security-forces-deployed-to-quell-riot-near-Duma-410812|access-date=4 August 2015|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=2 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=Khadeer>{{cite news|last1=Khadeer|first1=Kareem|title=Palestinian toddler's death sparks protests|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/01/middleeast/mideast-violence/|access-date=5 August 2015|publisher=CNN|date=3 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
One Palestinian, 17-year-old Laith al-Khaldi, was shot by the IDF and later died of his wounds in a Ramallah hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=766789|title=Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian teen near Ramallah|work=Maan News Agency|date=31 July 2015|access-date=8 August 2015}}</ref> 2,000 Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv in a rally organized by ] to protest the incident, and hundreds attended a protest in Jerusalem against the arson.<ref name=ThousandsProtest>{{cite news|title=Israelis protest hate crimes in wake of baby's death|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/israelis-protest-hate-crimes-wake-baby-death-palestine-150801223654320.html|access-date=4 August 2015|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=2 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
On 2 August 2015, the Israeli cabinet approved applying ] measures, hitherto used solely against Palestinian suspects, also against Jewish Israeli citizens suspected of participating in terror attacks against Palestinians.<ref>Mairav Zonszein,, '']'' 2 August 2015.</ref> | |||
After the attack, villagers started patrolling the village to protect it from Israeli settlers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/04/world/middleeast/palestinian-vigilante-effort-marks-stark-change-in-west-bank.html|title=Vigilante Effort After a Child's Death Underlines Stark Change in West Bank|date=4 August 2015|work=The New York Times|first=Diaa|last=Hadid|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
On 4 August 2015, the police requested information from the public as they sought to identify the arsonists.<ref name=LevinsonGraffiti/> Elisha Odess (aged 17, at the time), who was put under home detention the day after the Dumas firebombing and detained on 25 November as a suspect, has dual Israeli-American citizenship.<ref>{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Nathan-Kazis|url=http://forward.com/news/327794/family-claims-american-teen-held-as-jewish-extremist-is-tortured-by-israel/|title=Family Claims American Teen Held as Jewish Extremist Is Being Tortured by Israel|work=]|date=23 December 2015|access-date=11 November 2022}}</ref> He and the other suspects are described as coming from "the heart of the settlement movement, the byproduct of its educational system".<ref name="Barnea" /> | |||
] stated that Israeli condemnations would remain mere rhetoric if such attacks were allowed to continue, noting that in the past three years nine Palestinian homes had been subject to firebombing and no one has yet to be incriminated in any of the cases.<ref name="NYT3172015" />{{failed verification|date=August 2015}} ], ex-head of the ] intelligence agency, reflecting on Israel's response to such attacks, stated that an anarchistic state was being formed in southern West Bank which was violent and developing racist ideologies and that these are being handled tolerantly by the Israeli judicial system. He claimed that, in this part of the West Bank, 'law enforcement is shockingly weak towards Jews.'<ref> ] 8 August 2015.</ref> According to the UN, since the beginning of 2015 at least 120 settler attacks have been documented in West Bank, and ] statistics suggest over 92.6% of Palestinian complaints lodged with Israeli security forces never led to charges being filed.<ref> ] 31 July 2015.</ref> | |||
] leader ], commenting on the flood of emails from people claiming they would no longer vote for his party because of his defense of the Shin Bet's Jewish Agency, which is investigating the crime, said Ben-Gvir, the suspects' Kahanist attorney, was a genius running a propaganda campaign for their release. Their interrogation, in ]'s words, was being portrayed as "a long and arduous physical and mental torture. The suspects' bodies were stretched and shrunk on a Procrustean bed; they were electrocuted; they were sexually harassed, suffered kicking to the chest, bruising, slapping; a female interrogator groped them." Bennett argues that, "Those who support the use of exceptional methods against Palestinian terrorism, should support the use of exceptional methods against Jewish terrorism."<ref name="Barnea" >], ] 26 December 2015.</ref> | |||
The arson was condemned as an act of terrorism by the Palestinian government.<ref>{{cite news|title=Palestinian fury as 'Jewish settler' arson attack kills child|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33729281|work=BBC News|date=2015-07-31}}</ref> | |||
On 3 January 2016, Hussein Dawabsha, the father of Riham, urged for a new ] and was quoted saying "those who burned my family should themselves be burned" and, after stating that Israel does not punish Jewish terrorists according to their deeds, he added that "Only an intifada will avenge the death of the Dawabsha family. They should continue with more attacks, having faith in Allah. Only in this way we will achieve our rights."<ref name="Hussein_Dawabsha">{{cite news |title=Dawabsha grandfather urges new intifada |newspaper=The Times of Israel |date=3 January 2016 |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/dawabsha-grandfather-urges-new-intifada |access-date=6 January 2016 }}</ref> By this, he referred to a wave of ] which started in October 2015.<ref name="Hussein_Dawabsha"/> | |||
Palestinians responded to the arson with large protests that resulted in violent confrontation with the Israeli forces.<ref name=Moore>{{cite news|last1=Moore|first1=Jack|title=Hamas Calls For 'Day of Rage' After Arson Attack Kills Palestinian Baby|url=http://europe.newsweek.com/hamas-calls-day-rage-after-arson-attack-kills-palestinian-baby-331037|accessdate=5 August 2015|publisher=Newsweek|date=31 July 2015}}</ref><ref name=Frantzman>{{cite news|last1=Frantzman|first1=Seth|title=Security forces deployed to quell riot near Duma|url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Security-forces-deployed-to-quell-riot-near-Duma-410812|accessdate=4 August 2015|publisher=Jerusalem Post|date=2 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=Khadeer>{{cite news|last1=Khadeer|first1=Kareem|title=Palestinian toddler's death sparks protests|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/01/middleeast/mideast-violence/|accessdate=5 August 2015|publisher=CNN|date=3 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
One Palestinian, 17 year old Laith al-Khaldi, was shot by the IDF and later died of his wounds in a Ramallah hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=766789|title=Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian teen near Ramallah|work=Maan News Agency|date=31 July 2015|accessdate=8 August 2015}}</ref> 2,000 Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv in a rally organized by ] to protest the incident, and hundreds attended a protest in Jerusalem against the arson.<ref name=ThousandsProtest>{{cite news|title=Israelis protest hate crimes in wake of baby's death|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/israelis-protest-hate-crimes-wake-baby-death-palestine-150801223654320.html|accessdate=4 August 2015|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=2 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
== Reprisals == | |||
On August 2, the Israeli cabinet approved applying ] measures, hitherto used solely against Palestinian suspects, also against Jewish Israeli citizens suspected of participating in terror attacks against Palestinians.<ref>Mairav Zonszein, ] 2 August 2015.</ref> | |||
On 14 August 2015, a gas station was firebombed on ] near the West Bank settlement ]. Later, two Palestinian from ], members of the ], claimed the attack was a retaliation for the firebombing at Duma.<ref>{{cite news|title=2 arrested for firebomb attack at Samaria gas station|url=http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=28567|publisher=Israel Hayom|date=30 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Raoul|last=Wootliff|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/two-held-for-firebomb-attack-on-settlement-gas-station/|title=Two held for firebomb attack on settlement gas station|work=]|date=29 September 2015|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
Several media outlets have additionally attributed ] at least partly to the Duma arson killings as well as Israeli delays in pressing charges against any suspects.<ref name=guard /><ref>{{ cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/25/world/middleeast/ali-dawabsheh-arson-death-israel-wedding-video.html?_r=0|title=Video Shows Israeli Extremists Celebrating Palestinian Child's Death|work=The New York Times|first=Diaa|last=Hadid|date=24 December 2015|access-date=11 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
After the attack, the villagers have started patrolling the village to protect it from Israeli settlers.<ref>, Diaa Hadid, 3. Aug., 2015, ]</ref> | |||
== May 2018 fire == | |||
On August 4, the police have requested information from the public as they seek to identify the arsonists.<ref name=LevinsonGraffiti/> | |||
On 11 May 2018, another Dawabsheh clan home was destroyed in the village of Duma near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus; all family members were barely able to escape injury. Palestinians said Jewish settlers were responsible for the fire.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dawabsheh Family Victim of a Second Arson attack by Jewish Settlers|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/Palestine-dawabsha-family-illegal-settlements-arson-attack-duma-West-Bank-Israel|publisher=The Palestine Chronicle|date=11 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dawabsheh family survives second settler arson attack|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180511-dawabsheh-family-survives-second-settler-arson-attack/|publisher=Middle East Monitor|date=11 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jewish settlers set fire to Dawabsheh family home for a second time|url=https://mondoweiss.net/2018/05/jewish-settlers-dawabsheh/|publisher=Mondoweiss|date=12 May 2018}}</ref> The police investigation concluded the fire was likely caused by an electrical ].<ref>, Kipa, 15 May 2019</ref><ref>, Maariv, 11 May 2018</ref> | |||
==References== | == References == | ||
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Latest revision as of 18:58, 8 January 2025
Firebombing of a Palestinian home in 2015This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Duma arson attack | |
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Dawabsheh family home after ignition | |
DumaDuma (State of Palestine) | |
Location | Duma, Palestine |
Date | 31 July 2015 |
Attack type | Arson |
Weapons | Molotov cocktail |
Deaths | 3 |
Injured | 1 |
Motive | Jewish terrorism |
On 31 July 2015, Israeli settlers firebombed a Palestinian family home in late July 2015 in the village of Duma, killing three people; 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh was burned alive in the fire, while both his parents died from their injuries within weeks. On 3 January 2016, 21 year old Israeli settler Amiram Ben-Uliel was indicted for the murder, along with an Israeli minor, for participation in planning the murder. In addition, along with two others, they were both charged with one count of membership in a terrorist organization.
In 2020, Ben-Uliel was convicted of three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, three counts of arson and of conspiring to commit a racially motivated crime, as part of a "terrorist act". However, he was acquitted of the charge of being a member of a terror organization. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Arson attack
It emerged in investigations that the attack had apparently been planned in a cave called the "Red House" built from a previously existing Palestinian structure, on a site that was then turned into an Israeli outpost called Yishuv HaDaat. According to Rabbis for Human Rights, the state still plans to legalize this same outpost, though it was stolen through threats and violence from its Palestinian owners.
On 31 July 2015, two family homes in Duma, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, were firebombed by masked attackers. According to all reports, the first house was empty and they then went to a second house, where 18-month-old Ali Sa'ad Dawabsheh was burnt to death; his parents and 4-year-old brother were critically injured and rushed to Israeli hospitals, the father died of his burns several days later. Five weeks later, the mother, Reham Dawabsheh, died of her injuries.
According to local accounts, the family had returned home from a visit with relatives at around 1:30 AM, and sometime after they went to bed, between 2:00 and 4:00 AM, two masked assailants smashed windows and threw Molotov cocktails into the sleeping quarters. The IDF stated that windows had been smashed before the firebombs were lobbed in. Another report states that the house itself was doused and set alight. Neighbors stated that both parents emerged from their home enveloped in flames, and that two masked men were observed fleeing the scene. The news venue Haaretz, however, reported that the torched houses were in the middle of the town, such that it would not have been easy for outside intruders to "make a getaway."
The family's neighbor Ibrahim Dawabsheh, a construction worker in the Shilo settlement, reported that he heard his neighbours' screams, and on running to the site, saw two men standing over Reham and Saad's burning bodies. They followed him when he retreated, until he was joined by his brother. The mother, Riham (27), herself engulfed by flames, according to her brother-in-law, grabbed a blanket in which she thought her youngest child was sleeping, and fled outside only to realize the child was not in the blanket. She had third degree burns over 90% of her body, and died on 6 September 2015. According to one report, the father, Sa'ad, managed to carry their son Ahmed, age 4, outside, while sustaining burns over 80% of his body. Another version reported that Ahmad was rescued by their neighbor, Ibrahim Dawabsheh. After undergoing treatment at the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, Sa'ad Dawabsheh died of his wounds on 8 August,
Ahmad, who survived, suffered serious burns over 60% of his body.
Victims
- 'Ali Sa'ed Muhammad Dawabsheh, age 1, burnt to death when home was torched, 31 July.
- Sa'ed Muhammad Hassan Dawabsheh, age 32, fatally wounded when home was torched, succumbing to third-degree burns over 80% of his body, on 8 August.
- Riham Hussein Hassan Dawabsheh, age 27, fatally wounded when home was torched, dying on 7 September.
Investigation
From the first day, the Israeli authorities imposed a press embargo on the subject, banning the media from publishing any details or developments related to the investigation. On 31 August 2015, the embargo was extended by a month.
The Israeli investigators and international observers immediately suspected Jewish extremists of committing the attack. Several young men alleged to have been instigators were not native-born Israelis but came from American immigrant families. A manual of incitement written by Moshe Orbach, an Israeli from Bnai Brak, entitled "Kingdom of Evil," which provides details on how to set fire to mosques, churches and Palestinian homes, has also been mentioned in connection with the Duma attack. In February 2016 Orbach was convicted of sedition, the first time an Israeli court has found someone guilty of that charge in the last decade.
Israeli police initially suspected that the arson was a price tag attack by "extremist Israeli settlers"; some speculated that it might have been undertaken in retaliation for the demolition by the IDF of Jewish settlement structures in Beit El, 'the flagship of the ideological settler movement,' some time earlier.
In the Hebrew graffiti, the usual signature of "price tag" (Hebrew: תג מחיר, romanized: tag mechir) is lacking, and in its stead the slogans "Revenge," and "Long live King Messiah," (Hebrew: יחי המלך המשיח, romanized: yechi hamelech hamashiach) were scrawled. The latter is the motto of the messianist wing of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. In addition, a resident told a reporter that he saw attackers fleeing towards the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Efrayim. Police requested information from the public as they sought to identify the arsonists.
When suspicion fell on West Bank Jewish extremists, Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America alleged that Jews were being "falsely accused" of carrying out the attack, and he instead accused it as being the work of other Palestinians, as part of "an 18-year-old feud between Arab clans" in the village. Israeli Knesset member Oren Hazan, referencing a later separate fire at the house of a brother of Saad Dawabsheh that the Israeli and Palestinian authorities have reported to be unrelated to the arson attack, called for an investigation as he believed that the second fire may indicate that the arson was not committed by Israeli extremists.
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu claimed on 30 August 2015 on Ynet that "The way of terror is not our way". Later, he claimed; "only someone who lacks knowledge in the nuances of the religious community would make such a mistake and assume that "Tag Mechir" activists will write "Yechi Hamelech Hamashiach" ("Long live King Messiah").
On 8 September 2015, a senior Israel Defense Forces officer told the media, that Israel "know unequivocally that this is an act of Jewish terror." On 9 September 2015, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon issued a statement that said "there is a high probability that those responsible for the attack in Duma are part of a very extreme group of Jews" but that there is not yet enough evidence to arrest any suspects. Ya'alon also told a group of Likud activists that the identities of the arsonists are known to the defense establishment but that charges would not yet be brought to protect the identity of their sources. Later, Ya'alon clarified that security forces have only a "general idea" of who is responsible for the deadly firebombing attack ... calling on reporters to take a wait and see approach to the case". Ya'alon said the attack hurt the state of Israel and the settlement movement specifically. According to Sara Hirschhorn, settler rabbis and the leaders of American immigrant communities in the West Bank have been muted in their responses to the detention of suspects associated with their communities.
On 3 December 2015, it was cleared for publication that a number of Jewish suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack. The UN envoy criticized the "slow progress" in Israel's investigation.
Haaretz reported that the suspects were subjected to harsh interrogation methods after the investigation hit a dead end. According to unnamed sources, Israeli Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein approved the use of these methods, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not informed of this until after the fact. In response to the allegations, Deputy Attorney-General Raz Nizri met with the detainees.
On 11 December 2015, one of the suspects was released to house arrest.
Despite acknowledging that the attack was "clearly a Jewish" one, and that Israeli authorities knew "who is responsible" for it, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that there is "not enough evidence" to detain or prosecute the suspects. The comments were decried by Palestinian rights groups, who noticed the swiftness of Israeli military actions against Palestinian suspects of attacks against Israeli targets, and accused the Israeli government of condoning settler violence.
On 15 December, the Israeli High Court of Justice denied a petition that the government take immediate "legal steps against the Dawabsheh family's murders".
On the evening of the 17'th of December 2015, Mako reported about a petition to leak the names of arrested people, within a few hours. "We are all with Zionist detainees" ("כולנו עם עצורי ציון"), in other sources "Duma Youth" ("נערי דומא"), leaked 100 names of people that had been allegedly held by security services giving three categories (administrative detention, custody and under active integration by the Shabak). Rotter News reported that the list is not credible as they believe the names are not connected to the investigation.
Legal
On 3 January 2016, two suspects were indicted. One of them, 21-year-old Amiram Ben-Uliel, was charged with murder. The second, a minor whose identity was withheld due to regulations exempting minors suspected of criminal acts from being publicly named, was charged as an accessory. The motive, as stated in the indictment, was revenge for the murder of the young Israeli Malachi Rosenfeld by Palestinians, near Duma about a month earlier. The indictments also included charges of membership in a terror organization, "The Revolt" group, who reportedly was founded in October 2013, and aimed to carry out terror acts against Palestinians, stir chaos in Israel, and bring about war between Arabs and Jews. The purpose was to cause the collapse of Israel's democracy to make way for a state ruled by a Jewish king according to Halachic (Jewish religious) law. Although The Revolt has no strict hierarchy, Shin Bet claims that the leader of the Revolt is Meir Ettinger, grandson of Meir Kahane.
Concurrently, the Rehovot Magistrate's Court sentenced right-wing activist Haim Auerbach for two years in prison for publishing the booklet 'kingdom of evil', detailing how to harm Arabs and giving guidance how to set mosques on fire, and in the opinion of the judges, there is a link between the publication of the document and the murder of the Dawabsheh family in Duma village.
On 1 June 2016, Meir Ettinger was released from a 10-month detention while being restricted from travel to certain locations and from communicating with 93 individuals.
In June 2018, the Lod District Court accepted some of the defense's claims and ruled out confessions obtained "under torture." However, it confirmed another confession, as well as a crime reconstruction by Amiram Ben-Uliel, and findings of a "dubbing exercise" of the minor. In July 2018 one of the defendants, who had confessed to four arson attempts and two acts of vandalism and hate graffiti against Arabs, was released on house arrest after evidence he gave was ruled to have been extracted under "torture."
In May 2019, the former minor in the case, now an adult, made a plea deal in which he confessed, and is expected to be convicted for conspiring to commit a crime inspired by racism, the crime being arson, not murder. The new indictment includes a determination that the youth belonged to a terroristic organization, Hamered (The Revolt), which he denies. In exchange the prosecution undertook not to ask for a sentence exceeding 5 and a half years of imprisonment under. The indictment states that he was not present on the night when the crime was committed. Nasr Dawabsheh, a spokesperson for the family, denounced the deal as proving "complicity of the Israeli judiciary in this horrible crime … This deal is unfair and encourages the settler gangs to commit more crimes."
Conviction and sentence
In May 2020, Amiram Ben-Uliel was convicted by the Lod District Court of three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and two counts of arson, as part of a "terrorist act". However, he was acquitted of charges of membership of a terror organisation.
In September 2020, Ben-Uliel was sentenced to three life terms for murder, 17 years for attempted murder, and 10 years for arson. The minor who had been convicted of membership of a terrorist organization and involvement in planning the murders was sentenced to 42 months imprisonment and considered to have already served 32 months.
In August 2024 it was reported by Haaretz that Ben-Uliel has been receiving visits from Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi, which is unusual for such a prisoner. Yaakobi has been working to improve conditions for Ben-Uliel, as well as other Jewish prisoners convicted of violence against Palestinians, ever since far-right Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir became Minister of National Security at the end of December 2023. Among the perks Ben-Uliel has since gained are "emotional support" calls with extremist Rabbi Dov Lior and various items and books for the performing of religious rituals. At the end of the month, Ben-Uliel was released from solitary confinement and placed in the religious wing of the prison, as previously demanded by his supporters.Otzma Yehudit Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech stated that Ben-Uliel is an innocent 'saint' whose life is one of holiness and piety, and whose suffering in prison is on behalf of all the Israeli people.
Taunting of murder victims, relatives
"Wedding of Hate"
In December 2015, Israeli police began investigating a video of a Jewish wedding in Jerusalem celebrating the marriage of a person known to have been involved in price tag attacks, in which guests are shown stabbing a photo of the toddler, Ali Dawabsheh, who had died in the Duma arson attack. The same video contained scenes of guests, armed with guns, knives and Molotov cocktails, chanting a song with the words from the book of Judges (16:28), "O God, that I may be this once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes", replacing "Philistines" with "Palestinians". A lawyer for the defendants in the case, Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir, now Minister of National Security, was also present and later said "No one realized these were photos of a member of the Dawabsheh family" - talking of the toddler photo which was stabbed and then burnt by wedding guests. Such scenes are reported to be typical of many such weddings.
In October 2016, an indictment for alleged incitement to violence or terror was filed against five minors who participated in the taunting. One of the minors was additionally charged with deliberate property damage. In October 2018, state prosecutors claimed to have lost video evidence of the taunting. Honenu [he] issued a joint statement by the defendants' attorneys, saying, "The loss casts doubt on the ability to prosecute the case."
Grandfather taunted outside court
Hussein Dawabsheh, the grandfather, was taunted by Jewish settlers outside the court proceedings who were supportive of the defendant. They chanted in Arabic "Where's Ali? There's no Ali. Ali is burned. On the fire. Ali is on the grill" and "Where is Ali? Where is Riham? Where is Saad? It's too bad Ahmed didn't burn as well." Police and court officials present did not interfere. Israeli Arab parliamentarian Ahmad Tibi put up as video capturing the incident.
Response
The Palestine Liberation Organisation, the biggest party within the Palestinian Authority, held the Israeli government "fully responsible for the brutal assassination" of the child and said that, "This is a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism".
On 31 July 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed "shock and horror" at an arson attack telling him that "it's upon us to together fight terror, no matter which side perpetrates it".
The European Union and U.S. condemned the attack and the U.S also urged "all sides to maintain calm and avoid escalating tensions in the wake of this tragic incident." Israeli President Reuven Rivlin stood out among Jewish Israeli politicians for his condemnation of Jewish terror, for which he received a slew of death threats on social media by Israelis who additionally called him a "traitor" and "Arab terrorist".
In the aftermath of the incident, it was noted that the family was not entitled to compensation for the terror attack, and calls have been made to extend to Palestinian victims of Jewish terrorism compensation which so far is reserved exclusively for Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism. That Ahmad Dawabsheh, the 6-year-old who is the sole survivor of the arson, is not entitled to compensation was reiterated in April 2017 by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman in response to a request from Joint (Arab) List MK Yousef Jabareen.
B'tselem stated that Israeli condemnations would remain mere rhetoric if such attacks were allowed to continue, noting that in the past three years nine Palestinian homes had been subject to firebombing and no one has yet to be incriminated in any of the cases. Yuval Diskin, ex-head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, reflecting on Israel's response to such attacks, stated that an anarchistic state was being formed in southern West Bank which was violent and developing racist ideologies and that these are being handled tolerantly by the Israeli judicial system. He claimed that, in this part of the West Bank, 'law enforcement is shockingly weak towards Jews.' According to the UN, since the beginning of 2015 at least 120 settler attacks have been documented in West Bank, and Yesh Din statistics suggest over 92.6% of Palestinian complaints lodged with Israeli security forces never led to charges being filed.
Palestinians responded to the arson with large protests that resulted in violent confrontation with the Israeli forces. One Palestinian, 17-year-old Laith al-Khaldi, was shot by the IDF and later died of his wounds in a Ramallah hospital. 2,000 Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv in a rally organized by Peace Now to protest the incident, and hundreds attended a protest in Jerusalem against the arson.
On 2 August 2015, the Israeli cabinet approved applying administrative detention measures, hitherto used solely against Palestinian suspects, also against Jewish Israeli citizens suspected of participating in terror attacks against Palestinians.
After the attack, villagers started patrolling the village to protect it from Israeli settlers.
On 4 August 2015, the police requested information from the public as they sought to identify the arsonists. Elisha Odess (aged 17, at the time), who was put under home detention the day after the Dumas firebombing and detained on 25 November as a suspect, has dual Israeli-American citizenship. He and the other suspects are described as coming from "the heart of the settlement movement, the byproduct of its educational system".
Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett, commenting on the flood of emails from people claiming they would no longer vote for his party because of his defense of the Shin Bet's Jewish Agency, which is investigating the crime, said Ben-Gvir, the suspects' Kahanist attorney, was a genius running a propaganda campaign for their release. Their interrogation, in Nahum Barnea's words, was being portrayed as "a long and arduous physical and mental torture. The suspects' bodies were stretched and shrunk on a Procrustean bed; they were electrocuted; they were sexually harassed, suffered kicking to the chest, bruising, slapping; a female interrogator groped them." Bennett argues that, "Those who support the use of exceptional methods against Palestinian terrorism, should support the use of exceptional methods against Jewish terrorism."
On 3 January 2016, Hussein Dawabsha, the father of Riham, urged for a new intifada and was quoted saying "those who burned my family should themselves be burned" and, after stating that Israel does not punish Jewish terrorists according to their deeds, he added that "Only an intifada will avenge the death of the Dawabsha family. They should continue with more attacks, having faith in Allah. Only in this way we will achieve our rights." By this, he referred to a wave of stabbing and car-ramming attacks which started in October 2015.
Reprisals
On 14 August 2015, a gas station was firebombed on Route 60 near the West Bank settlement Eli. Later, two Palestinian from Awarta, members of the PFLP, claimed the attack was a retaliation for the firebombing at Duma.
Several media outlets have additionally attributed the wave of stabbing attacks by Palestinians from late 2015 through 2016 at least partly to the Duma arson killings as well as Israeli delays in pressing charges against any suspects.
May 2018 fire
On 11 May 2018, another Dawabsheh clan home was destroyed in the village of Duma near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus; all family members were barely able to escape injury. Palestinians said Jewish settlers were responsible for the fire. The police investigation concluded the fire was likely caused by an electrical short circuit.
References
- Zion, Ilan Ben; Gross, Judah Ari (3 December 2015). "Israel Arrests Jewish Terror Suspects in Deadly Firebombing". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
Police and Shin Bet security service agents recently arrested multiple Jewish terror suspects who may have been involved in the fatal firebombing of the Dawabsha family home in the Palestinian village of Duma…
- ^ "Ya'alon said to say Israel knows who perpetrated Duma attack". The Times of Israel. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
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- Kimon, Elisha Ben; Morag, Gilad; Levy, Elior (3 January 2016). "Indictments filed against two Duma arson suspects, gag order lifted". ynet.
- Gideon Levy, 'What an Exceptional Verdict in Palestinian Family's Murder Proves About Israel's Judiciary ,' Haaretz 19 May 2020.
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- 'State seeks legalization of outpost where Duma murder was reportedly planned,' Rabbis for Human Rights 3 January 2016.
- ^ Ma-an Staff (8 August 2015). "Father of Slain Palestinian Infant Dies from his Wounds". Beit Lahm, PSE: Ma'an News Agency. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- ^ Khoury, Jack (1 August 2012). "Family of Slain Palestinian Infant Clings to Life, Clashes in West Bank". Haaretz. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- "West Bank arson: Dead Palestinian child's father dies of wounds". BBC News. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- "Ali Dawabshe's Mother Succumbs to Wounds Sustained in West Bank Arson". Haaretz. 7 September 2015.
- ^ Noga Tarnopolsky, 'Attack in West Bank Kills Palestinian Child,' The Wall Street Journal 31 July 2015.
- ^ Diaa Hadid and Jodi Rudoren, 'Jewish Arsonists Suspected in West Bank Attack That Killed Palestinian Toddler,' The New York Times 31 July 2015.
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{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Ido Efrati, Associated Press, 'Ali Dawabshe's Mother Succumbs to Wounds Sustained in West Bank Arson,' Haaretz 7 September 2016.
- Curiel, Ilana; Elizera, Rotem; Levy, Elior (8 August 2015). "Father of Slain Palestinian Baby Dies of His Wounds". Ynetnews. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
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- ^ BTs Staff (25 December 2016). "Media, Statistics: Palestinians Killed by Israeli Civilians in the West Bank, After Operation Cast Lead; 2015, July" (online resource). B'Tselem. Jerusalem, ISR]: [B'Tselem (BTs), The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- The Ma'an source cited gives Mr. Dawabsheh's age as 30 years.
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- Mohammed Daraghmeh,Tia Goldenberg,'Jewish Attack on Palestinian Home Kills Toddler,' Associated Press 31 July 2015.
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- 2010s murders in the State of Palestine
- 2015 murders in Asia
- Anti-Palestinian sentiment in the Middle East
- Arson in the State of Palestine
- Arson in 2015
- July 2015 crimes in Asia
- Racially motivated violence in Asia
- Terrorist incidents in the West Bank in 2015
- Family murders
- Israeli settler violence
- 2015 fires in Asia
- Mass murder in 2015
- 21st-century mass murder in the State of Palestine
- Attacks on residential buildings in the State of Palestine
- Attacks on buildings and structures in 2015
- Residential building arson attacks in Asia