JERUSALEM (JTA) — Arson is suspected in the firebombing of a house in Duma belonging to the key witness in a deadly attack last year in the West Bank Palestinian village allegedly by Jewish extremists.
Ibrahim Dawabsheh, the owner of the house, and his wife escaped from the burning home early Sunday morning and were treated in a West Bank hospital for smoke inhalation, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported.
He is the key witness to the July 2015 attack that killed his relatives Reham and Saad Dawabsheh, and their 18-month-old son, Ali Saad, and seriously injured Ali’s older brother. Ibrahim Dawabsheh is testifying in the murder trial of the suspected bomber, Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, and his 17-year-old alleged accomplice.
A brick and at least two glass bottles that had contained flammable material reportedly were found inside the upstairs bedroom of the house, which is located less than 10 yards from the home that was burned down last summer.
Israel Police have launched an investigation into the alleged attack.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official, told Maan that it is clear Jewish settlers attacked the home.
“The way they attacked, the type of firebombs and the timing of the attack, all indicate that it was Israeli settlers,” he said.
