Mother of child killed in West Bank arson dies

Thousands of Palestinians turned out on Monday in the West Bank village of Duma for the funeral of Riham Dawabsha, who was severely burned in an arson attack believed to have been perpetrated by Jewish extremists, as the Palestinian Authority declared three days of mourning.

Dawabsha, who sustained burns to 90 per cent of her body, succumbed to her wounds on her 27th birthday after being treated in an Israeli hospital in the five weeks since assailants threw a petrol bomb into the family home.

Hebrew graffiti was daubed on a wall close to the home, leading to a crackdown by the Israeli authorities against Jewish extremists, although the perpetrators remain at large.

Riham Dawabsha was the third victim of the attack. Her 18-month-old son, Ali, perished in the flames, and her husband, Saad, died of his wounds 10 days later.

Their four-year-old son Ahmed, the sole survivor, remains in hospital. Amjad Dawabshe, a relative, said the situation of the child remains very difficult.

Show of unity

“He asks, where is mama, where is baba, where’s my brother? Nothing. It’s difficult for him. It’s difficult for us. Now people are telling him, “it’s okay, mama will come soon, baba will come soon”. They’ve been playing along with him, so that he’ll forget about his father and mother.”

Monday’s funeral was attended by activists from all the various factions in a rare show of Palestinian unity. Mourners rallied in Duma, calling for a “day of rage” throughout the region.

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat called for Israel to be "stopped and held accountable", warning that if it is not, "Riham will not be the last victim of Israeli terror".

Mr Erekat reiterated that the Palestinian leadership holds the Israeli government fully responsible for her death, and condemned Israel’s slow response to the attack.

“Over a month has passed and the Israeli government hasn’t yet brought the terrorists to justice,” he said.

Hamas urged its members to "retaliate" for the death, saying in a statement: "Hamas won't forgive the usurper occupation its crime against the Dawabsha family and the population of Duma."

Condolences

Israeli prime minister

Binyamin Netanyahu

expressed his condolences to the Dawabsha family and condemned the attack, which he described as an “act of terrorism”. He said that the security forces are doing their utmost to apprehend the assailants and bring them to justice.

The petrol bomb attack shocked Israeli society and prompted the security cabinet to crack down on violent far-right Jewish groups, implementing actions similar to those taken against Palestinian militants.

A number of right-wing activists were placed under administrative detention, allowing them to be held without trial and others were banned from entering the West Bank.

Despite the measures the suspects remain at large.

According to United Nations, settlers have carried out 142 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year. The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din claims that fewer than 2 per cent of complaints submitted by Palestinians against settler attacks result in a conviction.