west bank Suspected Jewish extremists burn child to death

Associated Press

DUMA, West Bank

Suspected Jewish assailants set fire to a West Bank home Friday and burned a sleeping Palestinian toddler to death in an attack that drew Palestinian rage and widespread Israeli condemnation. The attack, which threatens to set off another violent escalation, shines a light on the growing lawlessness of extremist Jewish settlers that Israel is either unable or unwilling to contain.

The extremists for years have staged attacks against Palestinian property, as well as mosques, churches, dovish Israeli groups and even Israeli military bases. The attacks, known as “price tags” because they exact a price for Israeli steps seen as favorable to the Palestinians, have stirred fear in Palestinians and frustration among critics who say Israel has not done enough to quell the assaults.

“This is a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism,” said Palestinian official Saeb Erekat. “This is the consequence of a culture of hate funded and incentivized by the Israeli government and the impunity granted by the international community.”

Friday’s deadly attack comes as part of a larger trend of Jewish radicalization – one day after an anti-gay ultra-Orthodox extremist stabbed revelers at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride Parade and two days after Israeli authorities indicted two young Jewish activists for an arson attack on a famous Holy Land church. All have been strongly condemned across the Israeli political spectrum, though the recent spate of attacks has raised fears that a radicalized and violent ultraconservative fringe is growing from within the country’s hard-line national-religious camp.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the attack a “war crime” and said the Palestinians would present it to the International Criminal Court as part of their case against Israel.

The extremist attacks, which most recently struck a famous church in northern Israel, have rarely caused fatal injuries, which made Friday’s incident, in which 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh was killed and his parents and 4-year-old brother critically wounded, all the more worrying.

Israeli leaders rushed to condemn Friday’s attack.

“I am shocked over this reprehensible and horrific act. This is a terror attack in every respect. The state of Israel takes a strong line against terrorism regardless of who the perpetrators are,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.