Two Israelis charged over arson attack that killed Palestinian toddler

Israeli prosecutors have filed murder charges against two citizens in connection with an arson attack in the occupied West Bank that saw an 18-month boy and his parents burn to death.

In a long-awaited development of an investigation into the attack that sent shock waves through Israel and Palestine, 21-year-old Amiram Ben-Uliel from Jerusalem was indicted on Sunday for murder on the basis of a hate crime, while an Israeli minor, who can only be named by the initials A.A., was charged with being an accessory to the murder.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting before the indictments were announced, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the country stands against murder and violence “of any kind”.

“We are a state of law and we will enforce the law throughout the State of Israel and vis-à-vis all citizens of Israel,” he said.

Ben-Uliel is reported to have admitted to carrying out the firebombing on July 31. The arson attack in the village of Duba killed 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh. The boy’s bother mother, Reham, and father, Saad, later died of their wounds after suffering severe burns. Ali's four-year-old brother Ahmad suffered 60% burns to his body, but survived. He remains in serious condition in hospital, more than six months after the attack.

Ben-Uliel said he carried out the attack in revenge for the killing of Malachy Rosenfeld, 25, in a drive-by shooting in the West Bank in June.

The long-awaited indictment follows months of investigations that had failed to produce concrete results. The case has revived criticism from rights groups which say there is a culture of impunity in Israel that allows attacks on Palestinians. 

A further five suspected Jewish extremists were also charged for six separate attacks against Arab persons or property. 23 others are still being investigated for suspected involvement in 20 further attacks against Palestinians, Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, announced.

The indictments come as Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, warns that Jewish youth extremism is on the rise. “Today, between 20 to 30 potential terrorists are capable of carrying out a "second Duma,” the Shin Bet said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health stated on Friday that Israeli soldiers or settlers in 2015 shot and killed 179 Palestinians, including unarmed protesters, bystanders and alleged attackers. Of that total, 143 were killed after October 1, when tensions escalated sharply.

Since October, lone Palestinian assailants killed 23 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians.