Father of Palestinian baby killed in arson attack dies of injuries

The father of the Palestinian 18-month-old baby boy killed in a recent arson attack on his home by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has succumbed to his burns.

Sa’ad Dawabsheh, the 32-year-old father of Ali, died at Soroka Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, located 115 kilometers (71 miles) southeast of Tel Aviv, early on Saturday.

He had been left with second-degree burns over more than 80 percent of his body following the late July firebombing. His wife, Riham and four-year-old son Ahmad remain in critical condition in hospital.

On July 31, a large fire broke out after settlers threw firebombs and Molotov cocktails into two Palestinian houses in the town of Duma, located 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Nablus. A Palestinian toddler burned to death as a result.

The incident sparked angry reactions from Palestinians, including political and resistance groups.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also censured the arson attack as a “terrorist act,” calling for the perpetrators to be promptly brought to justice.

“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,” Ban’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The European Union (EU) also called on the Israeli regime to demonstrate “zero tolerance” for the persisting settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

“The Israeli authorities should… take resolute measures to protect the local population. We call for full accountability, effective law enforcement and zero tolerance for settler violence,” read a July 31 statement released by a spokesperson for EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Israeli settlers have in recent years carried out various attacks including arson and graffiti on Palestinian property in the West Bank and al-Quds (Jerusalem) under the “price tag” slogan.

Price tag attacks are acts of vandalism and violence against Palestinians and their properties as well as Islamic holy sites.