'Price tag' attacks: Clamp down settler terrorism

The rising Israeli brutality has surpassed all boundaries beyond justification targeting even small children much to the condemnation of UN and the international community.

One and a half year old Palestinian baby Ali Saad Dawabsha was burnt to death on Friday in the West Bank village of Duma at his home by illegal Israeli settlers. The assailants who threw two firebombs inside the house, scrawled the words ‘revenge’ in Hebrew on the wall. The baby died in the attacks while the rest of the family members are reportedly, critical. Israelis have been illegally migrating and establishing Jewish settlements in Palestinian regions unleashing brutal attacks on the locals in return for the actions taken against them by the Israeli government. These retaliatory actions by the settlers termed as ‘Price tag’ attacks target the Palestinian villages. According to the official reports, 11, 000 attacks have been executed by the settlers since 2004. The Israeli authorities would initially register a complaint, filing a random case against a 'nobody' and halting the insufficient investigation days later. This sloppiness encourages the criminals to commit more crimes. Two 17-year old Palestinians were killed in the skirmishes triggered by the attack. The UN Secretary General, US Foreign Department and the Israeli authorities condemned the incident inviting sharp criticisms signaling the destruction of the Zionist nation if it continues with its racist and narrow-minded nationality.

The latest incidents indicate that the growing Jewish settlements exceed all boundaries of law and justice. According to the international law, a nation is responsible for the safety of the country it invades. Therefore, every Jewish settlement in the Palestinian regions is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel has given the nod for more Jewish settlements in more than hundreds of regions justifying their move despite it being against the international laws. When the settlements and violence initiated by the migrants escalate beyond justification, the Israeli government tries to curb the aggression by demolishing illegal colonies in order to convince the world nations. The settlers neglect the warnings and continue their brutal attacks due to the impunity provided by the government, targeting the Palestinians through ‘Price tag’ attacks. The violence unleashed on the Dawabsha family is one such instance.

UN reports of 120 acts of settler attacks on the Palestinians this year alone. The baby was assassinated on the anniversary of another ‘price tag’ attack in Jerusalem last year. Muhammad Abu Khdeir, 16-year old Palestinian teen was kidnapped and murdered by three Israelis in 2014 who justified their act as a retaliatory attack for the abduction and murder of the three Israeli teenagers in Gush Etzion. In yet another incident, four teenagers of a family were shot down during a football match during the time of Gaza war. There are 6000 Palestinians including teens spending their lives as political captives in Israeli jails. Out of the 2220 Gazans killed in the war, 1492 are civilians including 551 children. All these are episodes of savagery that could be categorized under war crimes. Palestine is all set to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court against Israel. The world countries are increasingly backing the imposition of sanctions on Israel. The international community should initiate steps to curb Israel’s illegal immigration into Palestine and clamp down settler terrorism which is the only permanent solution to the problem.