A Palestinian toddler has been killed in an arson attack in the West Bank, suspected to have been carried out by Jewish extremist settlers, Israeli police say.
The attackers threw fire bombs into the house through its smashed window shortly before dawn as the family slept, burning an 18-month-old child to death and seriously injuring his parents and older brother.
Palestinian toddler burned to death in 'settler' arson attack http://t.co/cI6VBS1jmF pic.twitter.com/nuGUhpYVol
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) July 31, 2015
Another house in the neighborhood was also set ablaze, but there was nobody injured,.
The assailants left a spay-painted message that read “revenge” in Hebrew, next to scrawled image of a star of David.
The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas described it as "a war crime" and "a crime against humanity" while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack "a terrorist attack" and promised that "all means" would be used to bring the assailants to justice.
Mahmoud Abbas also blamed Israeli leaders for creating an atmosphere of hate and incitement.
The “price tag” attacks, typically used by radical Jewish settlers attacking Palestinian homes, Christian churches, mosques and government buildings to extract “a price” for any actions against them, either by the Israeli government or Palestinians.
The EU demanded Israel launch a full investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice, saying, "the Israeli authorities should also take resolute measures to protect the local population. We call for full accountability, effective law enforcement and zero tolerance for settler violence."
"The cold-blooded killing of Palestinian toddler Ali Daobasa, presumably by extremist settlers, is a tragic reminder of the dramatic situation in the region that highlights the urgent need for a political solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," the EU said in a statement.
