Hawzah News Agency - Ahmad Dawabsha, four-year-old Palestinian toddler, severely injured in the arson attack that took place in the town of Duma in the Nablus district in July 2015. Israeli Settlers set fire to the
Dawabsha family home and eighteen-month-old Ali Saad was killed almost instantly while his parents were seriously injured in the blaze and died in hospital months later. Ahmad had to undergo months of
treatment for serious burns.
Relatives of the Dawabsha family filed a lawsuit against Israeli regime at the Nazareth District Court on Monday.
The decision to file the suit was not about the money, but to hold Tel Aviv regime accountable for the crimes against the Palestinian family, Hassan Khatib, the lawyer representing the family said. The arsonists left
inscriptions on the wall, saying “Long live the Messiah” and “Revenge” on the wall of the house, alongside a Star of David.
“This brutal incident led to the worst possible outcome, which also left scars on the soul. The amount of the claim is not the issue,” Israeli Channel 2 quoted him as saying. “The full civil and security responsibility
lies with the State of Israel.”
Israel created “a hothouse and place for groups of lawbreakers to plan and prepare to carry out hate crimes against the Palestinian residents of the area,” the suit states, adding that Tel Aviv should be held
accountable for “criminal negligence” that led to the attack.
According to Time of Israel, the suit also blames Israeli regime for not taking action against acts of violence and incitement to violence by the settlers, thus allowing for the arson attack.
“The writing was on the wall and it was clear to everyone that the leniency toward the hilltop youth, outpost residents and lawbreakers would quickly spill over from property damage and non-fatal attacks to
deadly attacks that would end the lives of the innocent Palestinian residents,” it said.
Ahmed's uncle, Nasser Dawabsha, told AFP that the surviving child was left seriously injured in the attack.
"The child Ahmed suffers from disability,” as well as “medical and psychological incapacity from the loss of his father, mother and brother,” he added.
Tawfiq Muhammed from the Gaza-based Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, told Israeli Channel 2 that “the Dawabsha family lays all the responsibility on the State of Israel for the act of terror in which members of
the Dawabsha family were murdered – including the father, mother and son Ali – and also for Ahmed’s injuries".
"Therefore, we will present a complaint against the state, because we view it as responsible for this act of murder – whether in accordance with international law or the law of the State of Israel,” he said.
In January 2016, Israeli prosecutors indicted four Zionist settlers for various violent crimes against Palestinians, including the deadly arson attack on Dawabsha family. A 21-year-old Israeli Jewish man, Amiram Ben-
Uliel, and an unnamed 16-year-old minor were indicted for carrying out the Duma attack. Ben-Uliel was indicted for murder; the minor, who is not alleged to have directly participated in the firebombing, was
charged as an accomplice.
In April this year, said Ahmed is not entitiled to recompense as a “terror victim” as the law to grant compensation does not apply to Palestinians “who are not citizens or residents of Israel.".
Writing to Joint Arab List MK Yousef Jabareen in response to a question as to why Ahmad Dawabasha has not received money from Israel, regime's hawkish Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the toddler does
not qualify as a “terror victim” and will therefore not receive compensation.
The current law stipulates that the state must compensate Israeli citizens affected by terrorism, but does not apply to Palestinians “who are not citizens or residents of Israel,” Liberman wrote.