Palestinian toddler killed in 'Jewish settler' arson attack

A Palestinian toddler has been killed in an arson attack in the West Bank, suspected to have been carried out by Jewish settlers, Israeli police say.

The 18-month-old boy was killed in the nighttime attack on two homes in the village of Duma. His parents and four-year-old brother were injured.

The attackers apparently sprayed the word "revenge" in Hebrew on one of the houses which were firebombed.

Israel's prime minister called the attack "reprehensible and horrific".

"This is an act of terrorism in every respect. The State of Israel takes a strong line against terrorism regardless of the perpetrators," Benjamin Netanyahu said in a tweet.

However the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which dominates the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, said it held the Israeli government "fully responsible for the brutal assassination" of the child, Ali Saad Dawabsha.

"This is a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism," it said.

Ali Saad Dawabsha died at the scene. His mother, Reham, father, Saad, and brother, Ahmad, were taken to a hospital in Nablus.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: "The preliminary investigation suggests that suspects entered the village in the early hours of the morning, set the homes ablaze and sprayed graffiti in Hebrew on the homes.


"IDF forces are currently operating in order to locate the suspects of this attack."

Police said the attack appeared to have nationalist motives.

The type of incident resembles what have become known as "price tag" attacks - acts of vandalism or arson by Jewish extremists as a form of revenge for actions or attacks against Jewish settlements or unauthorised outposts in the West Bank.

About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Source:bbc