Palestinians accuse Jewish settlers of arson attack in northern West Bank

Palestinians on Wednesday accused Jewish settlers of a new arson attack in Duma village, near Nablus in the north of the West Bank.

The torched house owner Mohamad Dawabsha told Xinhua that settlers threw scorchers toward their home while they are asleep in the early hours of the morning, leading to partial burns and suffocation of the house owner.

Dawabsha said that the scorchers were accompanied by a large explosion inside the house, pointing that only settlers are capable of doing such a thing, as they have done it twice before to houses of members of the same family.

Last March, the house of Ibrahim Dawabsha was torched and he accused settlers of the attack. Ibrahim Dawabsha was a key witness in the case of the 2015 Duma arson attack in which three members of Sa'ad Dawabsha were killed, including a 18-month-old toddler, Ali Dawabsha.

Governor of Nablus, Akram Al-Rjoub, condemned the attack, accusing Israeli settlers of it.

Al-Rjoub who visited the house told Xinhua that the partial destruction in the house shows that the substances used have not been used before, pointing that "only extremist settlers are torching homes of Palestinians, as they've done with the same family last year."

He called for international protection of the Palestinian people, who are subject to "daily attacks by Israelis."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party describes in a press statement the attack as state run terrorism, lead by settlers who are protected by the Israeli army.

The statement said "this crime would not have happened if it weren't for the restless Israeli efforts to continue settlement activity and protect settlers," and that the international community is "standing ahead of a real test, where it will either show its alignment with justice or with terrorism and silence over those crimes, stopping at mere linguistic condemnations."

Israeli public radio reported that Israeli police immediately started an investigation into the incident, hinting that it is possible that the attack is a result of an internal conflict within the village.

In response, Al-Rjoub said that the evidence is clear and it points toward settlers.

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

The 2015 Duma arson was condemned internationally and by the Israeli government which sid it has "Zero-tolerance to such attacks by settlers and approved measures to halt the trend and has brought settlers to trial.

Jewish ultra-nationalists have for years vandalised or torched Palestinian properties and Islamic and Christian holy sites and cemeteries, under so called "price-tag" attacks that seek retribution for Israeli moves that settlers perceive as favouring Palestinians. Endit