An Israeli court sentenced a Jewish settler to life in prison 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 homeĀ in Duma village,Ā and spray-paintedĀ the terms “Revenge”Ā and “Long Live the Messiah” Ā on the home’s walls in HebrewĀ 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 fourāyearāold 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”Ā in “a spontaneous manner,”Ā but acted in a “meticulously planned”Ā manner “stemm[ing] from racism and an extremist ideology.”
BenāUliel stated that he intends to appeal his conviction. His lawyer Itzak Bam told Reuters that BenāUliel maintains his innocence and claims his confession was extracted through torture. However, the court’s ruling asserts thatĀ BenāUliel’sĀ 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 BenāUliel 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, Sept. 16. Used with permission.
