Firebombing victims said not eligible for compensation
Dawabsha family, being Palestinian, must appeal to special committee if it wishes to receive Israeli reparations, Haaretz reports
Members of the Dawabsha family, whose home was torched by Jewish terrorists, will not be recognized as terror victims by the state and will not be eligible to receive compensation, Haaretz reported Monday.
According to the report, the law stipulates that the state must compensate Israeli citizens affected by terrorism, but does not apply to Palestinians.
The family will have to make a special appeal to a committee in the Defense Ministry to request compensation.
MK Yousef Jabareen of the United Arab List has appealed to Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to enact the same compensation rights given to Israelis to the Palestinian victims of Jewish terror.
Jabareen called the current situation “absurd” and discriminatory. “Victims of nationalistic actions must be eligible for compensation, and it doesn’t matter if they’re Arab or Jewish.”
Attorney Dan Yakir of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel noted that Jewish settlers hurt by Palestinians automatically receive compensation while Palestinians hurt by settlers do not.
“This is another example of the intolerable disparity between settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank, in all areas of life” he said.
The firebombing of the Dawbsha home in the West Bank village of Duma on July 31 killed an 18-month-old child and his father. The mother and a second, 4-year-old boy are still being treated in Israeli hospitals for sever burns.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has labeled the attack “terrorism” and pledged to use all legal means to track down the perpetrators.
Israel on Monday released several suspects detained in raids related to the arson attack after questioning them. Officials did not provide details.
The Times of Israel Community.