Violation: torching two residences and burning a family alive
Location: Duma village- Nablus
Date: July 31, 2015
Perpetrators: Price Tag colonists
Victims: families of Ma'mon and Sa'd Dawabshih
Details:
A group of fanatic colonists relative to Price Tag gang from the outposts of Ahia and Yesh Kodish on July 31, 2015 sneaked into the northern part of Duma village. The group set fire to the residence of Citizen Rashid Dawabshih after breaking the window of his basement and hurling a grenade into there; the 180 m2 basement was burned down as a result. Noteworthy, Ma'mon's family was out of the house at time of the arson attack. Not only that, the perpetrators wrote inciting slogans on the walls of the house that translate "revenge" and "revenge of the Messiah"
Photos 1-5: the burnt down Dawabshih's residence
The same group then reached out the residence of Sa'd Dawabshih (36); same method was used to set the house on fire but this time the family was still inside. Fire caught Sa'd's body (father) who was trying to pull his for year son out of the house. Reham (mother), who was also on fire, thought that she picked up her infant boy (Ali) –wrapped by a blanket– but turned out that she only took the blanket out of the house due to the shock. Ali was left to burn alive inside of the house; which became inaccessible due to the spread of fire.
Neighbors approached to help and found out that the family is laying down on the ground in pain and that their bodies are on fire. Noteworthy, the perpetrators were surrounding the bodies of the family but fled the place when neighbors arrived.
Citizen Mohammad Dawabshih, who lives next to the torched house, told a researcher from Land Research Center the following: "We tried to save the infant but failed due to the lack of vision; the kid was torched alive as a result"
Photo 6: Signs of Israeli Settler attacks at Dawabsha house
Haj Dawabshih added:
" A group of the village's youth tried to follow the colonists but the Israeli occupation army interfered; the attackers fled the scene through a Skoda car that headed towards Male Efrayim colony.
The attack resulted in the death of the 18 month infant Ali Dawabshih; the father and the mother sustained third degree burns covering more than 90% of their bodies. The four year old kid was in stable condition where the 120 m2 house was entirely burned down.
Duma is reported to be part of Nablus suburbs; the area has witnessed many attacks carried out by the Price Tag gang. Colonists’ attacks were mostly represented in torching houses, cars and vehicles.
According to the data of the Palestinian Authority in 2004, around 11000 attacks were carried out in different places all over the West Bank; such attacks were represented in torching cars, mosques, churches and houses in addition to cutting down trees and assaulting farmers. It should be marked that no investigations have been opened in that regard but instead, attacks and violations increased notably.
Each year, colonists record their names on the black list of crimes against humanity. Last year, colonists carried out the most vicious and inhumane attack ever recorded by burning the Kid Mohammad Abu Khdair alive from the Jerusalem town of Shu'fat. Not only that, colonists attempted many times at abducting kids from occupied Jerusalem. Also, the incident of lynching Yusef Ramoni was also carried out by fanatic colonists. Land and Palestinians, who live and are located nearby Israeli colonies, have also been a target for colonists.
92% of Palestinian complaints against colonists' attacks were ignored:
According to the data of Yesh Din "There is law" association, 92% of Palestinian complaints (cases) submitted against colonists are closed with no indictments or charges. Only 10% of the complaints submitted against attacks and violations end up with written indictments only .The association report concluded that the way Israel deal with such cases is careless and non-professional.
It should be marked that the association ,since 2005 and until 2014, helped submit around 1,045 complaints to Israeli courts; the complaints were represented in different violations namely ( bullets shooting, stone throwing, torching, cutting down trees, hurting and looting animals, crops looting, constructing on Palestinian private lands, threats and attacks by colonists.
Thus, Palestinians wonder the following:
How would such complaints get considered when the attacks are carried out under the eye and protection of the Israeli occupation?
How will attackers get punished by the government that encourages them to kill Palestinians?
How would it be possible that the occupation government stops its crimes while the whole world renders the deaf ear on their crimes, not mentioning that the American government supports Israel’s racism and brutality?
Therefore, we at Land Research Center deny all Israeli justifications of the attack and request the following:
- To arrest the perpetrators and put them to trial and be equally sentenced as Palestinians
- To demolish the residence of the attackers (according to the laws of the British Mandate that is applied on Palestinians)
- Stop the incitement of killing Palestinian
- Stop all the sources of support for the colonization
As long as these conditions are not fulfilled, there will be no need to advance in peace talks
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
