‘Israel’ rabbis issue statement backing settler who murdered Dawabsheh family

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Several dozens of Israeli rabbis from across the religious Zionist spectrum issued a statement backing Amiram Ben Uliel, an Israeli settler convicted of burning a Palestinian 18-month baby and his parents alive in 2015.

Moreover, the rabbis called for Israelis to donate toward the funding of his legal defense team for an appeal to the Supreme Court.

The statement, which was released after the terrorist was sentenced on Monday to three life sentences, claims that Ben Uliel’s confession was extracted via enhanced interrogation techniques and that it is therefore legally inadmissible. It has been signed by around two dozen rabbis, including Rabbi Haim Drukman, one of the most influential religious leaders in the occupation state.

“The concern that an innocent man could be imprisoned for the rest of his life before our eyes does not let us rest. It is our duty to help as much as possible for the sake of justice for Amiram,” wrote the rabbis.

The joint statement included a call for Israelis to donate “generously and from the heart” to a funding campaign for a defence team of senior lawyers expected to challenge Monday’s verdict in the Supreme Court.

“He was sentenced to three life sentences. He denies everything which was attributed to him. This matter most harms those who care about settling in our holy land, who care about the sovereignty of the people of Israel throughout its territories. And a lot of people who care want to appeal that ruling”, Rabbi Dov Lior, the former rabbi of the settlement of Kiryat Arba wrote.

The rabbis’ call has been welcomed by many Israelis, including well-known personalities. Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retweeted a link to a fundraiser to aid in the defence of Ben Uliel set up by a far-right legal aid group that seeks to safeguard Jewish Israelis from any legal implications arising from anti-Arab/Palestinian violence.

An arson attack was made by Ben Uliel and other settlers against the house of the Dawabsheh family on the night of 31 July 2015. The family was burnt alive while sleeping. 18-month old Ali and his parents were killed in the attack, leaving five-year-old Ahmed alone with severe burns.

Settlers’ violence has sharply increased in plain view, sometimes with the direct support of the Israeli forces. Groups of settlers attack Palestinians on a daily basis in so-called “price-tag” attacks, targeting native Palestinians and their properties.

In the first five months of 2020, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented 143 price-tag attacks that led to the injuries of 63 Palestinians, including 13 children, and damage to over 3,700 trees and saplings, various field crops and more than 100 vehicles.