Torching of house in occupied West Bank draws UN official’s concern

The United Nations official coordinating the peace process toward resolving the longstanding conflict between Israel and Palestine today expressed concern about reports of yet another arson attack last night targeting a Palestinian family in Duma in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The United Nations official coordinating the peace process toward resolving the longstanding conflict between Israel and Palestine today expressed concern about reports of yet another arson attack targeting a Palestinian family in Duma in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“If confirmed, this despicable act would be the third incident in this particular village in the last year,” said the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov.

On 31 July last year, Jewish extremists set fire to the home of a Palestinian family, killing 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha and his parents, and leaving four year-old Ahmed orphaned.

“Indictments have been made, but the perpetrators of this terrible crime have yet to face justice,” Mr. Mladenov said.

According to media reports, the latest attack is on a relative of the family attacked on 31 July.

The third attack refers to an incident in March, in which the house of Ibrahim Mohammed Dawabsha, the only living witness to the 31 July attack, was set alight.

Mr. Mladenov called on the authorities to move swiftly in bringing all the perpetrators to justice, including those responsible for the incident last night.

He also urged Israel, as the occupying power, to ensure that vulnerable Palestinian communities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are protected in line with its obligations under international law.