Ramallah: The village of Douma, east of the city of Nablus in the West Bank, has been the target of a new wave of attacks believed to be carried out by hardline Israeli colonists. The Dawabsheh family, still grieving the loss of toddler Ali Sa’ad Dawabsheh and his father in an arson attack last month that also left the infant’s mother and older brother in serious condition, had to contend with more violence when another house was set on fire.
According to Gassan Doghlous, the official of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) who oversees Israeli colonist activities in the northern areas of the West Bank, the house belonging to the Dawabsheh family was burnt to the ground. There were no fatalities, but five family members suffered burns and other injuries and were admitted to Nablus hospitals.
Doghlous said that the house owned by Monawar Rasheed Sulaiman Dawabsheh located in the middle of the village of Douma was targeted in the early hours of Monday when several Molotov cocktail bombs were thrown into the centre of the building.
Palestinian firefighters and paramedics responded to the incident and Palestinian security forces have launched an investigation into the attack. They could not immediately confirm that it was colonists who burned the house and used the firebombs.
“The arson attack was almost typical to the attack in which Ali Dawabsheh and his father died, but the attackers have not spray-painted graffiti on any of the surrounding walls,” said Doghlous. The graffiti left in the earlier incident led to the colonist attackers being identified.
“It is preferable to not officially accuse the colonists of the attack [yet],” he told Gulf News.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Education issued an official order naming Douma Mixed Basic School after the toddler who died in last month’s attack; the new name of the school will be Infant Martyr Ali Dawabsheh Mixed Basic School.
Sabri Saidam, the Palestinian Minister of Education, said that the change of name of the village’s school was notified on the first day of the school year and was his first decision as the Palestinian Minister of Education.
