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Dawabsha family, july 31 2015 burned by settlers |
8 may 2017
Relatives carry the body of Palestinian toddler Ali Saad Dawabsha, through the streets of the West Bank village of Duma during his funeral on July 31, 2015
Relatives of the Dawabsha family, three of whose members died in an arson attack committed by Israeli settlers in 2015, filed a lawsuit on Monday against the state of Israel seeking compensation for the murders.
The high-profile attack sparked outrage in July 2015, when extremist Israeli settlers set fire to a house in the northern occupied West Bank village of Duma, killing 18-month-old Ali and his parents Riham and Saad Dawabsha, and leaving then-four-year-old Ahmad Dawabsha the sole survivor.
Ahmad Dawabsha was hospitalized for almost a year to treat the severe burns he sustained all over his body and face.
Two Israelis were indicted for murder for the arson in January 2016, although they have yet to be sentenced, while a Jewish extremist arrested over suspicions of being tied to the case was released in June 2016.
The lawsuit comes a week after remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said that six-year-old Ahmad did not qualify as a “terror victim” because he was not an Israeli citizen, and was therefore not eligible for compensation from the Israeli government.
The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli Defense Ministry had offered that the Dawabsha family submit a request for compensation to an inter-ministerial committee, but that the family had decided to sue the state instead.
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, the Dawabsha family was now requesting some 10 million shekels ($2.77 million) in compensation as part of the lawsuit.
Israel’s Channel 2 quoted Tawfiq Muhammad, a representative from the al-Mezan Center for Human Rights as saying that the Dawabsha family would present its lawsuit to the magistrate's court in Nazareth.
"The Dawabsha family holds the Israeli government fully responsible for the terrorist attack which killed a father, a mother, and infant Ali Dawabsha, and left a child, Ahmad Dawabsha with serious burns," Muhammad said. "We will sue the state of Israel for compensation, because we see that the state is responsible according to both international and Israeli law."
Muhammad went on to accuse the Israeli government’s illegal military occupation of the Palestinian territory and its violent and discriminatory policies for inciting settler violence against Palestinians.
“(Successive Israeli) governments supported the illegal establishment of settlements and ignored the unprecedented incitement of Jewish terrorist organizations,” he said. “These governments did not work to apply the law in these areas from which the terrorists set out and burned the Dawabsha family to death. Therefore, the state is primarily responsible for what happened.”
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law, with recent announcements of settlement expansion provoking condemnation from the international community.
Attacks by settlers are often carried out under the armed protection of Israeli forces, who rarely make efforts to protect Palestinians from such attacks, leading activists and rights groups to denounce what they have called a “culture of impunity” for Israeli settlers and soldiers committing violent acts against Palestinians.
According to rights group Yesh Din, over 85 percent of investigations into violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are closed without indictments, and only 1.9 percent of complaints submitted by Palestinians against Israeli settler attacks result in a conviction.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 46 settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem have taken place so far this year.
OCHA reported a total of 221 such attacks in 2015, the year of the Duma arson.
Relatives of the Dawabsha family, three of whose members died in an arson attack committed by Israeli settlers in 2015, filed a lawsuit on Monday against the state of Israel seeking compensation for the murders.
The high-profile attack sparked outrage in July 2015, when extremist Israeli settlers set fire to a house in the northern occupied West Bank village of Duma, killing 18-month-old Ali and his parents Riham and Saad Dawabsha, and leaving then-four-year-old Ahmad Dawabsha the sole survivor.
Ahmad Dawabsha was hospitalized for almost a year to treat the severe burns he sustained all over his body and face.
Two Israelis were indicted for murder for the arson in January 2016, although they have yet to be sentenced, while a Jewish extremist arrested over suspicions of being tied to the case was released in June 2016.
The lawsuit comes a week after remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said that six-year-old Ahmad did not qualify as a “terror victim” because he was not an Israeli citizen, and was therefore not eligible for compensation from the Israeli government.
The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli Defense Ministry had offered that the Dawabsha family submit a request for compensation to an inter-ministerial committee, but that the family had decided to sue the state instead.
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, the Dawabsha family was now requesting some 10 million shekels ($2.77 million) in compensation as part of the lawsuit.
Israel’s Channel 2 quoted Tawfiq Muhammad, a representative from the al-Mezan Center for Human Rights as saying that the Dawabsha family would present its lawsuit to the magistrate's court in Nazareth.
"The Dawabsha family holds the Israeli government fully responsible for the terrorist attack which killed a father, a mother, and infant Ali Dawabsha, and left a child, Ahmad Dawabsha with serious burns," Muhammad said. "We will sue the state of Israel for compensation, because we see that the state is responsible according to both international and Israeli law."
Muhammad went on to accuse the Israeli government’s illegal military occupation of the Palestinian territory and its violent and discriminatory policies for inciting settler violence against Palestinians.
“(Successive Israeli) governments supported the illegal establishment of settlements and ignored the unprecedented incitement of Jewish terrorist organizations,” he said. “These governments did not work to apply the law in these areas from which the terrorists set out and burned the Dawabsha family to death. Therefore, the state is primarily responsible for what happened.”
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law, with recent announcements of settlement expansion provoking condemnation from the international community.
Attacks by settlers are often carried out under the armed protection of Israeli forces, who rarely make efforts to protect Palestinians from such attacks, leading activists and rights groups to denounce what they have called a “culture of impunity” for Israeli settlers and soldiers committing violent acts against Palestinians.
According to rights group Yesh Din, over 85 percent of investigations into violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are closed without indictments, and only 1.9 percent of complaints submitted by Palestinians against Israeli settler attacks result in a conviction.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 46 settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem have taken place so far this year.
OCHA reported a total of 221 such attacks in 2015, the year of the Duma arson.
1 may 2017
Israel will not pay terror victims’ compensation to Ahmed Dawabsha, a Palestinian boy whose parents and brother were killed in a 2015 arson attack carried out on their home by Israeli settlers, Israel’s war minister Avigdor Lieberman told a Knesset member in an official correspondence on the issue.
Writing to Joint (Arab) List MK Yousef Jabareen in response to a question as to why the now-orphaned Ahmed has not yet received money from Israel, Lieberman said the 6-year-old, who was badly injured in the attack, does not qualify as a “terror victim” and will therefore not receive compensation.
According to the Times of Israel daily, the current law stipulates that Israel must compensate Israelis affected by terrorism, but does not apply to Palestinians “who are not citizens or residents of Israel,” Lieberman wrote.
In January 2016, then-attorney general Yehuda Weinstein rejected a request from Jabareen for Dawabsha to be recognized as a terror victim.
“The compensation should be a right, not a gift,” he claimed. “The state needs to give him full compensation due to the severe incident he has suffered.”
Jabareen said the family would now “turn to the courts” in order to seek both recognition and compensation for Dawabsha.
Two homes in Duma, south of Nablus, were set alight in the July 31 attack. In the attack, Ali Dawabsha,18 months old, was burned to death and father Saad Dawabsha, his wife Riham and their son Ahmad, who was four at the time, were critically injured. Saad died in August and Riham in September. The only surviving member of the family, Ahmed, received months of treatment for severe burns.
Responding to Lieberman's letter, Jabareen accused the war minister of implementing a racist policy towards the Palestinians.
“The defense minister’s position is based on racial discrimination,” Jabareen said in a statement. “If we were talking about Jewish settlers hurt by Palestinians, the victims would automatically receive compensation.”
The attack caused massive outrage in the occupied Palestinian territories and around the world.
In January 2016, a 21-year-old Israeli settler—Amiram Ben-Uliel—and an unnamed 16-year-old minor were indicted for carrying out the Duma terror attack.
Writing to Joint (Arab) List MK Yousef Jabareen in response to a question as to why the now-orphaned Ahmed has not yet received money from Israel, Lieberman said the 6-year-old, who was badly injured in the attack, does not qualify as a “terror victim” and will therefore not receive compensation.
According to the Times of Israel daily, the current law stipulates that Israel must compensate Israelis affected by terrorism, but does not apply to Palestinians “who are not citizens or residents of Israel,” Lieberman wrote.
In January 2016, then-attorney general Yehuda Weinstein rejected a request from Jabareen for Dawabsha to be recognized as a terror victim.
“The compensation should be a right, not a gift,” he claimed. “The state needs to give him full compensation due to the severe incident he has suffered.”
Jabareen said the family would now “turn to the courts” in order to seek both recognition and compensation for Dawabsha.
Two homes in Duma, south of Nablus, were set alight in the July 31 attack. In the attack, Ali Dawabsha,18 months old, was burned to death and father Saad Dawabsha, his wife Riham and their son Ahmad, who was four at the time, were critically injured. Saad died in August and Riham in September. The only surviving member of the family, Ahmed, received months of treatment for severe burns.
Responding to Lieberman's letter, Jabareen accused the war minister of implementing a racist policy towards the Palestinians.
“The defense minister’s position is based on racial discrimination,” Jabareen said in a statement. “If we were talking about Jewish settlers hurt by Palestinians, the victims would automatically receive compensation.”
The attack caused massive outrage in the occupied Palestinian territories and around the world.
In January 2016, a 21-year-old Israeli settler—Amiram Ben-Uliel—and an unnamed 16-year-old minor were indicted for carrying out the Duma terror attack.
28 mar 2017
Mohammad Dawabsheh, the father of the Palestinian martyr Saad Dawabsheh who died of his wounds after being burned alive along with his family by Jewish settlers, passed away on Monday evening in Douma town, south of Nablus city in the northern West Bank.
His son Naser Dawabsheh told the PIC reporter that his father was suffering from kidney failure and his health worsened after he had undergone a dialysis session in an-Najah National University Hospital in Nablus. He died a few hours after returning home.
He pointed out that his 69-year-old father had been suffering from Kidney failure for three and a half years. His health condition started deteriorating dramatically after the Israeli crime of murdering his son along with his family by burning them alive inside their home at the hands of fanatic Jewish settlers 18 months ago.
Saad Dawabsheh and his wife as well as their infant, Ali, died in the incident while the only survivor was their son, Ahmad, who sustained very severe burns.
His son Naser Dawabsheh told the PIC reporter that his father was suffering from kidney failure and his health worsened after he had undergone a dialysis session in an-Najah National University Hospital in Nablus. He died a few hours after returning home.
He pointed out that his 69-year-old father had been suffering from Kidney failure for three and a half years. His health condition started deteriorating dramatically after the Israeli crime of murdering his son along with his family by burning them alive inside their home at the hands of fanatic Jewish settlers 18 months ago.
Saad Dawabsheh and his wife as well as their infant, Ali, died in the incident while the only survivor was their son, Ahmad, who sustained very severe burns.
2 nov 2016
Defense charges that missing documents would shed light on material that Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) investigators gave the court before issuing indictment against the defendant; Prosecution admits that two documents are missing, as all attempts to locate them are being made.
The young settler who was arrested as part of the investigation into the attack on the Dawabsheh family is having difficulty obtaining copies of investigation material pertaining to him.
During a hearing on the matter in the Jerusalem District Court, the lawyer representing the accused claimed that all investigation material had not been turned over to her. In response, a representative of the prosecution admitted that two documents have not been located and that all relevant officials have been contacted in an attempt to locate the missing material.
Shin Bet and Police investigators arrested the settler as part of the investigation into the Duma attack, which claimed the lives of three members of the same Palestinian family, including an infant.
Initially, the Shin Bet and Police officials prevented him from meeting with an attorney, but throughout the course of the investigation it became clear that the young man had nothing to do with the attack on Duma. However, he did confess to an attack on a Palestinian shepherd near the Shilo settlement in the West Bank.
Sinaya Harizi, who represents the accused on behalf of the legal aid organization Honenu, claims that many documents have simply vanished from the investigation. "Since the filing of the indictment almost a year ago, I have yet to receive all the investigation material," said Harizi. "Moreover, the prosecution will not turn over all transcripts of the investigation pertaining to my client. I ask you, how can an investigation that ultimately decides to issue an indictment against a person not be relevant for him during trial?"
In response, the prosecution commented, "The case is being held behind closed doors and therefore we cannot elaborate on details of the case. However, we note that the investigation materials were transferred to the defense in the usual manner with the exception of two documents that were not included in the file, as stated in court."
The legal aid organization Honenu, which is sponsoring the defense, commented by saying, "Some of the documents that 'vanished' shed light on the material Shin Bet investigators presented to the court, material which we know to be retroactively false, as the accused had nothing to do with what happened in Duma."
The young settler who was arrested as part of the investigation into the attack on the Dawabsheh family is having difficulty obtaining copies of investigation material pertaining to him.
During a hearing on the matter in the Jerusalem District Court, the lawyer representing the accused claimed that all investigation material had not been turned over to her. In response, a representative of the prosecution admitted that two documents have not been located and that all relevant officials have been contacted in an attempt to locate the missing material.
Shin Bet and Police investigators arrested the settler as part of the investigation into the Duma attack, which claimed the lives of three members of the same Palestinian family, including an infant.
Initially, the Shin Bet and Police officials prevented him from meeting with an attorney, but throughout the course of the investigation it became clear that the young man had nothing to do with the attack on Duma. However, he did confess to an attack on a Palestinian shepherd near the Shilo settlement in the West Bank.
Sinaya Harizi, who represents the accused on behalf of the legal aid organization Honenu, claims that many documents have simply vanished from the investigation. "Since the filing of the indictment almost a year ago, I have yet to receive all the investigation material," said Harizi. "Moreover, the prosecution will not turn over all transcripts of the investigation pertaining to my client. I ask you, how can an investigation that ultimately decides to issue an indictment against a person not be relevant for him during trial?"
In response, the prosecution commented, "The case is being held behind closed doors and therefore we cannot elaborate on details of the case. However, we note that the investigation materials were transferred to the defense in the usual manner with the exception of two documents that were not included in the file, as stated in court."
The legal aid organization Honenu, which is sponsoring the defense, commented by saying, "Some of the documents that 'vanished' shed light on the material Shin Bet investigators presented to the court, material which we know to be retroactively false, as the accused had nothing to do with what happened in Duma."
26 oct 2016
Groom Yakir Ashbal
Groom Yakir Ashbal and right-wing activist Daniel Pinner among 13 indicted after dancing with firearms and mocking the murder of Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsheh.
Thirteen suspects were indicted on Wednesday for incitement and possession of firearms during what has been dubbed as the "wedding of hate," which saw guests mocking the murder of Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsheh.
Among the defendants are five minors aged 14-17, as well as groom Yakir Ashbal from Yad Binyamin. Another defendant is the wedding singer, Sinai Tor from Ramat HaSharon, who sang a song about building the Third Temple, adding lyrics like "The mosque will burn, burn" and "The mosque will explode, explode" and is accused of inciting and spurring the guests on with his songs.
According to the indictment, right-wing activist Daniel Tzvi Moshe Pinner from Kfar Tapuach danced at the wedding with a rifle, while wearing a shirt of Rabbi Meir Kahane's Kach party that says "No Arabs, no terror attacks." Pinner is also facing charges of incitement to racism and support of a terror organization.
Videos from the Jerusalem wedding of Yakir and Ronny Ashbal in December 2015 also show guests dancing while brandishing IDF-issued M4 and M16 automatic rifles, guns, knives and bottles made to look like Molotov cocktails to the song "And let me take one vengeance for my two eyes on the Philistines" (changed to "Palestinians"). Some of the guests were dancing with their faces covered, while several of the guests brandishing weapons cocked them.
Participants also stabbed, tore, and set fire to photos of Ali Dawabsheh, an 18-month-old baby who was murdered in an arson attack on their home in the village of Duma, and of his two parents, who were also murdered in the attack. The photos had the word "Revenge" written on them.
Two Jewish suspects—Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, from Jerusalem, and a 17-year-old youth from the Samaria region--were indicted for the murder and involvement in the murder of the Dawabsheh family.
According to the indictment, "with their actions, defendants jointly called for an act of violence or terrorism; praise, sympathy or encouragement of an act of violence or terrorism; and support or identification with such an act. Based on the contents of the inciting actions and the circumstances in which they occurred, there is a real possibility that it will lead an act of violence and terrorism."
The Israel Police's Judea and Samaria District's Nationalistic Crimes Unit launched an investigation into the wedding following the publication of the videos, arresting and questioning several suspects. Among the suspects questioned were Ashbal himself and other right-wing activists, some of them minors. All suspects were released after a few days.
In addition to suspicions of incitement and possession of firearms, some of the guests at the wedding were "Hilltop Youth" who are suspected of violating a court order barring them of meeting other youth who were at the wedding.
Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir, who is representing Daniel Pinner and was a guest at the wedding himself, said in response to the indictments: "This is a populist move by the State Attorney's Office. I propose that before the State Attorney's Office files an indictment concerning this wedding, they file incitements against guests at weddings in Umm al-Fahm, who actually fire their weapons and not just dance with them."
Groom Yakir Ashbal and right-wing activist Daniel Pinner among 13 indicted after dancing with firearms and mocking the murder of Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsheh.
Thirteen suspects were indicted on Wednesday for incitement and possession of firearms during what has been dubbed as the "wedding of hate," which saw guests mocking the murder of Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsheh.
Among the defendants are five minors aged 14-17, as well as groom Yakir Ashbal from Yad Binyamin. Another defendant is the wedding singer, Sinai Tor from Ramat HaSharon, who sang a song about building the Third Temple, adding lyrics like "The mosque will burn, burn" and "The mosque will explode, explode" and is accused of inciting and spurring the guests on with his songs.
According to the indictment, right-wing activist Daniel Tzvi Moshe Pinner from Kfar Tapuach danced at the wedding with a rifle, while wearing a shirt of Rabbi Meir Kahane's Kach party that says "No Arabs, no terror attacks." Pinner is also facing charges of incitement to racism and support of a terror organization.
Videos from the Jerusalem wedding of Yakir and Ronny Ashbal in December 2015 also show guests dancing while brandishing IDF-issued M4 and M16 automatic rifles, guns, knives and bottles made to look like Molotov cocktails to the song "And let me take one vengeance for my two eyes on the Philistines" (changed to "Palestinians"). Some of the guests were dancing with their faces covered, while several of the guests brandishing weapons cocked them.
Participants also stabbed, tore, and set fire to photos of Ali Dawabsheh, an 18-month-old baby who was murdered in an arson attack on their home in the village of Duma, and of his two parents, who were also murdered in the attack. The photos had the word "Revenge" written on them.
Two Jewish suspects—Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, from Jerusalem, and a 17-year-old youth from the Samaria region--were indicted for the murder and involvement in the murder of the Dawabsheh family.
According to the indictment, "with their actions, defendants jointly called for an act of violence or terrorism; praise, sympathy or encouragement of an act of violence or terrorism; and support or identification with such an act. Based on the contents of the inciting actions and the circumstances in which they occurred, there is a real possibility that it will lead an act of violence and terrorism."
The Israel Police's Judea and Samaria District's Nationalistic Crimes Unit launched an investigation into the wedding following the publication of the videos, arresting and questioning several suspects. Among the suspects questioned were Ashbal himself and other right-wing activists, some of them minors. All suspects were released after a few days.
In addition to suspicions of incitement and possession of firearms, some of the guests at the wedding were "Hilltop Youth" who are suspected of violating a court order barring them of meeting other youth who were at the wedding.
Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir, who is representing Daniel Pinner and was a guest at the wedding himself, said in response to the indictments: "This is a populist move by the State Attorney's Office. I propose that before the State Attorney's Office files an indictment concerning this wedding, they file incitements against guests at weddings in Umm al-Fahm, who actually fire their weapons and not just dance with them."
27 sept 2016
An Israeli court on Monday adjourned the trial of the Israeli arsonists who burned the Palestinian 18-month-old toddler Ali Dawabsheh and his parents alive.
Activist Nasser Dawabsheh said the Israeli Lod District Court in 1948 Occupied Palestine refused, following two hearings, to release the minor involved in the arson crime on account of a secret file.
Another attorney was appointed by the Israeli court to defend the arsonists’ case after formerly-assigned lawyer gave up the case.
The court told the family’s lawyer that it will provide him with the projected dates for future court hearings.
According to Dawabsheh, earlier the Israeli court acquitted 15 members of the terrorist Israeli Price Tag Gangs involved in the arson attack on the Dawabshehs and kept only two in custody.
A group of activists rallied outside the court hall to push for the prosecution of the Israeli terrorists involved in the crime. By the end of July 2015, Israeli terrorists set fire to the Dawabsheh’s family home in Nablus’s southern town of Duma, burning 18-month-old Ali alive.
Ali’s parents, Saad and Reham, succumbed to their burns shortly afterwards. The only survivor in the attack is Ali’s five-year-old brother, Ahmad.
Activist Nasser Dawabsheh said the Israeli Lod District Court in 1948 Occupied Palestine refused, following two hearings, to release the minor involved in the arson crime on account of a secret file.
Another attorney was appointed by the Israeli court to defend the arsonists’ case after formerly-assigned lawyer gave up the case.
The court told the family’s lawyer that it will provide him with the projected dates for future court hearings.
According to Dawabsheh, earlier the Israeli court acquitted 15 members of the terrorist Israeli Price Tag Gangs involved in the arson attack on the Dawabshehs and kept only two in custody.
A group of activists rallied outside the court hall to push for the prosecution of the Israeli terrorists involved in the crime. By the end of July 2015, Israeli terrorists set fire to the Dawabsheh’s family home in Nablus’s southern town of Duma, burning 18-month-old Ali alive.
Ali’s parents, Saad and Reham, succumbed to their burns shortly afterwards. The only survivor in the attack is Ali’s five-year-old brother, Ahmad.
23 sept 2016
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The grandfather, Hussein Dawabsheh
Among other points made in his UN speech, Netanyahu also claimed that Israel invested every available resource in bringing the culprits of the arson attack, that killed the Palestinian Dawabsheh family, to justice; Hussein Dawabsheh, who lost his daughter, son-in-law and grandson in the fire, refutes this claim and says that it was ‘certainly not the Israeli government’ that took care of his surviving grandson, Ahmed. Hussein Dawabsheh, the grandfather of Ahmed Dawabsheh—who sustained serious burns after Jewish extremists killed his parents along with their 18-month-old child in an arson attack last June—refuted Prime Minister Netanyahu's portrayal of the support Israel supposedly offered Ahmed and his extended family in the aftermath of the attack. |
During his speech before the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Netanyahu spoke about “the profound difference” he sees between Israeli and Palestinian societies, citing Israel's response to the attack which included the arrest and arraignment of the suspects.
(Video 25.44) “Take the tragic case of Ahmed Dawabsheh.” Said Netanyahu. “I’ll never forget visiting Ahmed in the hospital just hours after he was attacked. A little boy, really a baby, he was badly burned. Ahmed was the victim of a horrible terrorist act perpetrated by Jews. He lay bandaged and unconscious as Israeli doctors worked around the clock to save him.”
“No words can bring comfort to this boy or to his family,” continued Netanyahu. “Still, as I stood by his bedside I told his uncle, ‘This is not our people. This is not our way.’ I then ordered extraordinary measures to bring Ahmed’s assailants to justice and today the Jewish citizens of Israel accused of attacking the Dawabsheh family are in jail awaiting trial.”
“Now, for some, this story shows that both sides have their extremists and both sides are equally responsible for this seemingly endless conflict. But what Ahmed’s story actually proves is the very opposite. It illustrates the profound difference between our two societies, because while Israeli leaders condemn terrorists, all terrorists, Arabs and Jews alike, Palestinian leaders celebrate terrorists. While Israel jails the handful of Jewish terrorists among us, the Palestinians pay thousands of terrorists among them.”
While not denying that Netanyahu did indeed visit the victim, Hussein Dawabsheh rejected the notion that Israel provided assistance: “Netanyahu did visit our family in the hospital, but it was the doctors and hospital that took care of him, and it certainly wasn’t the Israeli government,” Hussein insisted.
He also rejected Netanyahu’s view of a fundamental difference between both societies. “I don’t agree with his statements on the difference between our cultures, about how Jewish leaders come out against terrorism and Arabs don’t. Moreover, his statement about how the State of Israel allocated resources to punish the murderers is absolutely untrue. It’s been a year and three months, and the trial is not yet finished. We haven’t seen the accused being punished and there has been a general foot-dragging,” Hussein contended.
Earlier in his speech, Netanyahu stated that the Palestinian leadership and society both work to indoctrinate its young population to hate Israel.
“Imagine your child undergoing this brainwashing. Imagine what it takes for a young boy or girl to break free out of this culture of hate. Some do, but far too many don’t. How can any of us expect young Palestinians to support peace when their leaders poison their minds against peace?”
Dawabsheh was also quoted as saying, “They claim the accused in the murders is not yet an adult and that he wasn’t responsible for his actions. When we come to court, his friends taunt us by asking, ‘Where’s Ali?’ ‘Where’s Riham?’ With a Palestinian terrorist, they manage to achieve justice much quicker.”
(Video 25.44) “Take the tragic case of Ahmed Dawabsheh.” Said Netanyahu. “I’ll never forget visiting Ahmed in the hospital just hours after he was attacked. A little boy, really a baby, he was badly burned. Ahmed was the victim of a horrible terrorist act perpetrated by Jews. He lay bandaged and unconscious as Israeli doctors worked around the clock to save him.”
“No words can bring comfort to this boy or to his family,” continued Netanyahu. “Still, as I stood by his bedside I told his uncle, ‘This is not our people. This is not our way.’ I then ordered extraordinary measures to bring Ahmed’s assailants to justice and today the Jewish citizens of Israel accused of attacking the Dawabsheh family are in jail awaiting trial.”
“Now, for some, this story shows that both sides have their extremists and both sides are equally responsible for this seemingly endless conflict. But what Ahmed’s story actually proves is the very opposite. It illustrates the profound difference between our two societies, because while Israeli leaders condemn terrorists, all terrorists, Arabs and Jews alike, Palestinian leaders celebrate terrorists. While Israel jails the handful of Jewish terrorists among us, the Palestinians pay thousands of terrorists among them.”
While not denying that Netanyahu did indeed visit the victim, Hussein Dawabsheh rejected the notion that Israel provided assistance: “Netanyahu did visit our family in the hospital, but it was the doctors and hospital that took care of him, and it certainly wasn’t the Israeli government,” Hussein insisted.
He also rejected Netanyahu’s view of a fundamental difference between both societies. “I don’t agree with his statements on the difference between our cultures, about how Jewish leaders come out against terrorism and Arabs don’t. Moreover, his statement about how the State of Israel allocated resources to punish the murderers is absolutely untrue. It’s been a year and three months, and the trial is not yet finished. We haven’t seen the accused being punished and there has been a general foot-dragging,” Hussein contended.
Earlier in his speech, Netanyahu stated that the Palestinian leadership and society both work to indoctrinate its young population to hate Israel.
“Imagine your child undergoing this brainwashing. Imagine what it takes for a young boy or girl to break free out of this culture of hate. Some do, but far too many don’t. How can any of us expect young Palestinians to support peace when their leaders poison their minds against peace?”
Dawabsheh was also quoted as saying, “They claim the accused in the murders is not yet an adult and that he wasn’t responsible for his actions. When we come to court, his friends taunt us by asking, ‘Where’s Ali?’ ‘Where’s Riham?’ With a Palestinian terrorist, they manage to achieve justice much quicker.”
