(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The United States and United Nations yesterday condemned the killing of an 18-month-old baby in an arson attack by suspected Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on the perpetrators of what he called a "terrorist act" to face justice, and expressed condolences for the family of the dead baby, Ali Saad Dawabsha.
"The Secretary-General strongly condemns today's murder of a Palestinian child in the West Bank and calls for the perpetrators of this terrorist act to be promptly brought to justice," a spokesperson for Ban said.
"He expresses his deepest condolences to the family of Ali Dawabsha, who were themselves severely injured in the arson attack."
The White House condemned in the strongest possible terms the "vicious" arson attack.
According to Palestinian security officials, four suspected settlers set fire to the family's house before dawn before fleeing to a nearby Jewish settlement. The Israeli military and army radio said a total of two homes had been torched by two masked men, with the child killed and four family members wounded, including the baby's parents and four-year-old brother.
The attack added to tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, sparking protests by hundreds of people and sporadic clashes. Ban said he "urges both sides to take bold steps to return to the path of peace."
"Continued failures to effectively address impunity for repeated acts of settler violence have led to another horrific incident involving the death of an innocent life. This must end," he added. "The absence of a political process and Israel's illegal settlement policy, as well as the harsh and unnecessary practice of demolishing Palestinian houses, have given rise to violent extremism on both sides."
Hamas spokesman Hussam Badran called for retaliation. "This crime has made occupation soldiers and settlers everywhere legitimate targets," he said.
Fearing the killing would provoke violence in Jerusalem, police restricted entrance to Al-Aqsa mosque for Friday prayers to men over the age of 50 and to women. Some stone-throwing erupted outside the Old City, police said, with one officer lightly injured. In the West Bank city of Hebron, stone-throwing clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers broke out after Friday prayers.
Near Ramallah Israeli soldiers opened fire at a Palestinian who threw a fire-bomb at them, the military said and medics said he was seriously injured. The police said a special task-force was investigating the killing, along with the Shin Bet security service. Israeli Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the torching appeared to have been a "Price Tag" attack, a reference to settlers who exact retribution for Israeli government curbs on settlement expansion. Israel tore down two illegal structures in the Beit El settlement near Ramallah and removed dozens of people from another settlement near Nablus on Wednesday, prompting protests.
The "Price Tag" group has been blamed for torching a number of mosques and homes in the West Bank in recent years. Those attacks caused damage but no casualties.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.