An Israeli court sentenced a Jewish settler to life in prison [5] plus 20 years on Sept. 14 for murdering a Palestinian family in a 2015 firebomb attack on their home in the occupied West Bank. The district court determined that Amiram Ben-Uliel led a racially-motivated attack on the Dawabsheh home [6] in Duma village, and spray-painted the terms "Revenge" and "Long Live the Messiah" on the home's walls in Hebrew alongside a depiction of the Star of David. The attack killed Saad Dawabsheh, 32, and Riham Dawabsheh, 27, along with their 18-month-old son, Ali. Then four–year–old Ahmed Dawabsheh was the only family member to survive the attack, with severe burns. Judge Ruth Lorch stated that Ben-Uliel did not commit "a reckless act" in "a spontaneous manner," but acted in a "meticulously planned" manner "stemm[ing] from racism and an extremist ideology."
Ben–Uliel stated that he intends to appeal his conviction. His lawyer Itzak Bam told Reuters [5] that Ben–Uliel maintains his innocence and claims his confession was extracted through torture. However, the court's ruling asserts that Ben–Uliel's confession included details that only a perpetrator could know. The court acquitted him of charges of belonging to a "terrorist organization."
A panel of judges further ordered Ben–Uliel to pay $288,893 in damages to surviving Dawabsheh family members within 90 days.
As part of a plea bargain, the court convicted a second underage defendant of assisting in the attack. That sentence is pending.
From Jurist [8], Sept. 16. Used with permission.
