Palestinians accuse Jewish settlers of murder attempt against key Duma arson witness

Palestinians on Sunday accused Jewish settlers of torching a Palestinian family's home in Duma village near west Bank city of Nablus, and denounced the crime.

Local sources said the house of Ibrahim Dawabsha was torched with fire bombs, as he is the key witness in the 2015 Duma arson attack which killed three members of Sa'ed Dawabsha's family, including his 18-month-old toddler, Ali.

Nablus Governor Akram Al-Rajoub said initial indications point to Jewish settlers responsible for the arson.

Al-Rajoub said both Palestinian and Israeli security forces rushed to the village which was later declared a closed military zone during investigation. He added evidence showed it is settlers who broke one of the bedroom windows and threw firebombs inside it.

The Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank has opened investigation into the incident, according to The Israeli public radio.

Israeli security forces clashed with Palestinians in Duma village, leading to several injuries and arrests among Palestinian youth, local sources said.

Ghassan Daghlas, representative of the governmental Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission in Nablus, said there are "clear indications" that the attack was carried out by Jewish settlers. "Ibrahim Dawabsha was feared for after the murder of Sa'ed Dawabsha family because he is the only witness to the arson in Sa'ed's house," he added.

"What happened today was not only an arson, it was a murder attempt," said Daghlas.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary General Saeb Erekat held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the latest "arson".

He said these are crimes against unarmed civilians, and the Israeli government is directly responsible for it due to its failure to arrest terrorist settlers who continue to carry out their crimes without punishment."

PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi said "the apartheid system imposed by the extremism government of Israel and its settlers are responsible of the hideous crime."

Ashrawi urged the international community to undertake its responsibility to deter Israel and question its actions, and to provide the Palestinian people with international protection.

On July 31, 2015, a group of Jewish settlers set the house of Sa'ed Dawabsha on fire in Duma village, killing the parents and an 18-month-old toddler. Only four-year-old sibling Ahmed Dawabsha survived after a long rehabilitation at Israeli hospitals.

The Duma arson was condemned internationally, including by the Israeli government which said it has "zero-tolerance to such attacks by settlers and approved measures to halt the trend and has brought settlers to trial."

Extremist Jewish settlers have for years vandalized and torched Palestinian properties under so-called "price-tag" attacks, seeking retribution for Israeli moves that settlers perceive as favoring the Palestinians. Endit