Israel - Palestine: Tensions escalate over death of a child

(Baonghean.vn) - On Friday, July 31, the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis once again became tense, especially when thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to protest and express their anger at the death of Ali Saad Dawabsha - an 18-month-old Palestinian baby who was burned alive by some Israeli extremists.

Palestinian protesters throw stones at Israeli soldiers. Reuters

In the early morning of July 31, some Israeli extremists threw bottles of gasoline and set fire to the house of Mr. Dawabsha, a Palestinian, in the village of Douma, located in the northern West Bank. The entire Dawabsha family was trapped in the fire. It is worth mentioning that the fire took the life of Ali Saad Dawabsha, an innocent child less than 18 months old. As for Ali Saad Dawabsha’s parents and 4-year-old brother, they were all severely burned and are currently in critical condition.

After extinguishing the fire, police found the words "revenge" and "price to pay" left by the perpetrators on the wall of the victim's house. The attack is considered the most serious attack by Israeli extremists on Palestinians in a year. While the police continue to investigate to arrest the perpetrator, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to express their anger. Riots broke out in some places when protesters threw stones at Israeli soldiers. Soldiers were forced to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

In response to the barbaric attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was shocked by the horrific act and called it an "act of terrorism". Israeli politicians also condemned the attack and the Israeli government declared that it would find the perpetrator at all costs. More surprisingly, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin also announced that he would visit Dawabsha's family on the afternoon of July 31. As for Palestine, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah once again called on "the international community to take action" in the face of "Palestinian rights being violated every day in the West Bank".

It is known that over the years, many far-right Israeli settlers in the West Bank have carried out many attacks and sabotages against Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. However, the burning of Ali Saad Dawabsha alive has once again raised and deepened the long-standing and quite fierce conflicts between the two countries.

Chu Thanh

(according to Le Monde)