Israeli court rejects Arab MKs’ petition to indict arsonist settlers

The Israeli Supreme Court of Justice has rejected a petition filed by Arab Members of the Knesset to indict Jewish extremist believed to have firebombed a Palestinian family home in the West Bank killing a toddler and his parents in July.

The court explained that it wanted to make way for law enforcement and intelligence authorities to complete their investigations.

The petition was filed by MKs in the Arab Joint List including Basil Ghattas, Jamal Zahalka and Haneen Zoabi, against Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.

The judges, who described the crime as “cruel”, said the petitioners maintain their right to resubmit the petition after the end of the investigation.

Israeli police and the Shin Bet announced the arrest of a number of Jewish extremists on suspicion of their involvement in the arson attack against the Dawabsheh family in Duma, but they have all been released.

The MKs quoted in their petition Ya’alon as saying that “the security apparatus knows the suspects in the arson attack on the Dawabsheh family but indicting them would reveal intelligence sources.”

During an interview with the Israeli Army Radio yesterday, Ya’alon reiterated that the Israeli security services know the attack’s perpetrators but there was insufficient evidence against them.

Ya’alon described the crime as “clear Jewish terrorism”.

The case is under gag order.