Holy Land: Baby killed in settler attack on Palestinian home

Baby Ali

An 18 month-old baby became the latest victim of the ongoing attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian family homes, early this morning (Friday 31 July). His four year-old brother and parents were severely burned. Their home has been destroyed. The attack took place at about 2.30am, in the village of Douma, in the northern part of the West Bank near the city of Nablus. The home of another family has also been damaged.

The child was named Ali Saad Dawabsha. His father and mother, Sa'ad and Reham, and his brother Ahmad, are fighting for life in hospital.

The Israeli terrorists arrived in the dead of night in the village, and began by spray-painting hate slogans against Palestinians on the Dawabsha family home. They then broke a window and threw a firebomb inside, setting off the fire that killed the baby.

The graffiti, written in Hebrew, included the phrase 'price tag', which is a slogan used by right-wing Israeli extremists against Palestinians - the reference being that continued Palestinian existence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank would exact a price from the Israeli colonizers.

Although the Israeli military spokesperson issued a 'tweet' on his Twitter account that this was a "barbarous act of terrorism," the army has not issued an official statement, and the perpetrators have not been found.

Resident Musallam Dawabsha, told the Maan News Agency that his family saw four Israeli settlers running away towards the Ma'ale Efrayim illegal Israeli colony, built on stolen Palestinian lands near the village. He added that a young woman, who lives near the Dawabsha home, saw the extremists hurling the firebombs into the home before fleeing the scene.

Palestinian and international human rights groups have documented many cases in which Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian civilians. There have been very few arrests and even fewer prosecutions.

Rabbis for Human Rights said in a statement: "Rabbis for Human Rights condemns in the strongest terms the murder of the baby Ali Saed Duabsheh and the serious injury of three members of his family, in an arson attack this morning. We send our condolences and our prayers for speedy recovery. We are proud of the central role of our Palestinian field worker, Zakaria Sadeh, in arranging for the evacuation of the injured to Israeli hospitals. If, as our Defense Minister has stated, this act was carried out by Jews, it is also " Khilul HaShem ," a desecration of God's Name."

"It is important and praiseworthy in our eyes that condemnation of this terrible act has come from across the political spectrum. As we also learn from the stabbings at yesterday's Pride Parade, our rejection of and disgust with violence must override any disagreements among us. We are hopeful that Israel's security forces will keep the promises made this morning to do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice, unlike past incidents in which hate crimes against Palestinians were not solved..We must identify those who are likely to perpetrate such despicable acts., and we must do everything in our power to educate against violence and for honouring God's Image in every human being.

As Rebbe Nahman of Bratzlav taught, "We did not come into this world for strife and argument, nor for hatred, envy, putting others down or bloodshed. We have only come into this world to know You, the Eternal Blessed One."

Source: Maan News Agency/CPT/RHR