Palestinian shot by Israeli troops during protest over toddler’s slaying dies

Suspected Jewish extremists torched a home, killing an 18-month-old toddler.

His mother and father, Riham and Saad, and their 4-year old son Ahmad, also sustained moderate injuries and were evacuated to a nearby hospital, where they are reportedly in critical condition.

A military spokeswoman said some 50 Palestinians were throwing stones and fire bombs at Israeli forces at Jalazon, who used riot dispersal methods against them.

The death of 18-month-old Ali Dawabshe in the arson attack was condemned around the world and outraged the Palestinian leadership, which held Israel responsible.

A Jewish Star of David was spray-painted on a wall of the home along with the words “revenge” and “long live the Messiah”. His parents and brother were seriously injured in the arson attack.

Though Palestinians and their supporters are tired about treatment that the Israeli arsonists will get under the justice system, Gilad Erdan, minister of internal security, said on Friday that the case will be given top priority and that all efforts will be exhausted to make sure that the suspects end their lives behind bars.

The house was destroyed by the fire, apparently as the family slept inside, while a neighbouring home was badly damaged, but was empty and there were no casualties there.

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, called it a “brutal assassination” and said it was “a direct effect of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism”. “The State of Israel takes a strong line against terrorism regardless of who the perpetrators are”.

In occupied east Jerusalem, some 10 Palestinians were wounded in overnight clashes with Israeli police, Palestinian sources said.

“This is a suspected attack with nationalist motives”, Samri said. The army said at first Palestinians approached the fence and were 30 metres away. Estimates by the United Nations show that the annual rate of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians almost quadrupled in the past eight years.

Sporadic clashes continued in the West Bank on Sunday, with many raging Palestinians accusing president Mahmoud Abbas’s security forces of failing to provide protection in the face of ongoing settler attacks.

“When the Israeli government encourages settlements everywhere, they’re also encouraging these thugs to carry out these attacks”.

According to the UN, at least 120 attacks by Israeli settlers have been documented in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2015.