Continued Reactions to the Murder of a Palestinian Child by Extremist Settlers

The international community has strongly condemned the crime committed by extremist Jews on Friday, which led to the burning alive of a Palestinian child and the burning of other family members. Ali Saad Dawabsha, an 18-month-old child of a young Palestinian couple, was killed in the early hours of Friday, August 1, in the village of Duma in southern Nablus by incendiary bottles thrown into their home by extremist settlers. Meanwhile, Ali's parents are struggling with death, and his four-year-old brother is also severely injured. The Islamic Republic of Iran, the governments of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and many countries around the world have strongly condemned the murder of the Palestinian child. Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel, emphasized in its statement that 'the denial of the legitimate rights of Palestinians by the Israeli government plays a role in the occurrence of this vile crime.' Amman, the capital of Jordan, and some other cities in the country witnessed widespread protests condemning this crime on Friday. The UN Security Council condemned the attack during its meeting on Friday night and emphasized the need to prosecute the perpetrators. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, also stated before the special Security Council meeting that those responsible for this crime must be prosecuted. According to Israeli and Palestinian media, Mr. Dawabsha, despite being transferred to one of the best hospitals in Israel, is 'on the brink of death.' While the funeral ceremony for this child was held on Friday without the presence of his parents and only attended by a number of youths from Nablus, many clashes occurred afterward between angry Palestinians and settlers. The eastern and northern areas of Jerusalem witnessed unrest from angry Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli soldiers from Friday night until Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Israeli radio reported that these clashes stemming from the Palestinians' sense of revenge continued on Saturday, August 2. Israeli soldiers shot and killed a young Palestinian protester in 'Beit Lahia' in northern Gaza on Friday night. He is the fourth young Palestinian to be killed by Israeli soldiers in less than a week. Israeli soldiers and security forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank have been put on high alert, and Israeli officials assess that Palestinians may resort to actions such as knife attacks, car ramming, or bombings. The army and police forces held emergency meetings with Netanyahu and military leaders. The hospital where the Palestinian family is hospitalized became a place for Israeli leaders to visit the injured family on Friday. Benjamin Netanyahu, during his visit to the Dawabsha family, said that standing next to a child whose younger brother has been tragically killed is 'hard' for him. Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, expressed in Arabic during his visit to this family that he is 'deeply ashamed' that people from his own nation committed this act. Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, leaders of the Israeli opposition, also visited this family and harshly criticized the settlers and the government supporting them. Mr. Herzog, the main opposition leader, stated that heavy sentences should be imposed on the criminals, similar to those issued by Israel for 'terrorists.' However, despite the 'order' from the Prime Minister of Israel, no one has yet been arrested for this crime. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, has deemed this crime a direct result of the Israeli government's support for settlers. Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Mr. Abbas by phone on Friday, condemned the incident, and told him that the murderers would be brought to justice.