CAIRO: Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and Al-Azhar deplored a Friday arson attack reportedly carried out by Israeli settlers that killed an 18-month-old baby in Nablus, the West Bank.
The ministry demanded the Israeli government bear its legal and humanitarian responsibilities as an occupation power, and also demanded the international community provide security and protection for the Palestinian people.
Settlers’ “crimes” would not have been committed “without the blessing of the authorities of the Zionist occupation that incite further abuses against unarmed civilians,” said Al-Azhar, the most prestigious religious institution in the Islamic world; it also warned against “double standards” in dealing with the rights of the Palestinian people, and called for an immediate action guaranteeing an independent Palestinian state.
The arson attack, which took place in the village of Duma, inflicted serious injuries on the boy’s parents and brother. Graffiti in Hebrew, including the word” revenge,” was sprayed on the walls of some Palestinian houses.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, the Palestinian Authority held the Israeli government “fully responsible” for the death of the boy, Ali Saad Dawashba.
Jewish settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, but Israel does not recognize this assessment, as most of these settlements are subsidized and are often owned by right-wing Zionists.