WEST BANK: Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian house leaving behind a message they were avenging the death of soldier killed by a Palestinian a day earlier

Record ID: 564755

  • Title: WEST BANK: Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian house leaving behind a message they were avenging the death of soldier killed by a Palestinian a day earlier
  • Date: 14th November 2013
  • Summary: SINJIL, NORTH OF RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 14, 2013) (REUTERS) HOUSE DAMAGED BY FIRE GRAFFITI ON WALL READING: 'REGARDS TO EDEN - REVENGE!' BURNT HOUSE WITH GRAFFITI FAMILY OUTSIDE DAMAGED HOME VIEW OF BROKEN GLASS AND CHARRED STONE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RUWAYDAH DAR KHALIL, RESIDENT WHO LIVES IN BURNT HOUSE, SAYING: "In the morning I woke up to make a milk bottle for the boy. My husband and I, we prepared it and we wanted to go back to sleep. I then heard a car and heard the doors of a car close and there were four settlers. After this they entered inside, I heard their footsteps. I told my husband 'hurry up, it looks like soldiers are here' but they turned out to be settlers. They started breaking the glass and they broke the entire veranda with a thick stick afterwards. They poured something, I am not sure what they used but after they poured it they set the house ablaze." DAMAGE CAUSED BY FIRE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RUWAYDAH DAR KHALIL, RESIDENT WHO LIVES IN BURNT HOUSE, SAYING: "I put the boys one by one and took them towards the kitchen. Then the smoke reached the kitchen so we moved from the kitchen to the roof. The ambulance and fire truck took a whole hour before arriving. We would have died, the fire had reached the bedrooms. The boys inhaled a lot of smoke. They suffered and were in pain and they suffered psychologically from the fear." DAMAGE TO ROOF MORE OF DAMAGE INSIDE THE HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) KHALID DAR KHALIL, HOUSE OWNER, SAYING: "The heavy smoke and the electricity being cut off is what made us panic and not even know how to get out of the house. The electricity was cut off as a result fo the fire burning the cables. We ended up with a shortage and the electricity shut off." DAMAGE CAUSED TO METAL DOOR MORE OF DAMAGE WINDOW WITH BROKEN GLASS AS VIEWED FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE ISRAELI SOLDIERS OUTSIDE HOUSE WIDE VIEW OF HOME / SOLDIERS AND RESIDENTS
  • Embargoed: 29th November 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Crime,Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAWDWQ7QB82QZJ7DF5Q41MK5O1
  • Story Text: Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian house on Thursday (November 14), leaving behind a message they were avenging the death of soldier killed by a Palestinian a day earlier, residents said.
    A mother who lives in the home said she was preparing milk for her infant son when she heard people outside, in the early hours of the morning.
    "I heard their footsteps. I told my husband 'hurry up, it looks like soldiers are here' but they turned out to be settlers. They started breaking the glass and they broke the entire veranda with a thick stick afterwards. They poured something, I am not sure what they used but after they poured it they set the house ablaze," said Ruwaydah Dar Khalil.
    The attackers spray-painted "Regards to Eden, Revenge!" on an outside wall of the home, a reference to Eden Attias, who was stabbed to death on a bus by a 16-year-old Palestinian in the Israeli city of Afula on Wednesday (November 13).
    Dar Khalil said residents of the home, including children, feared for their lives.
    "The smoke reached the kitchen so we moved from the kitchen to the roof. The ambulance and fire truck took a whole hour before arriving. We would have died, the fire had reached the bedrooms. The boys inhaled a lot of smoke. They suffered and were in pain and they suffered psychologically from the fear," she said.
    Khalid Dar Khalil, who owns the home, said the heavy smoke and fire caused the electricity to be cut off and forced the family out of their house in darkness.
    An Israeli police spokesman said it was investigating the attack and had identified a number of suspects.
    The incidents add to simmering violence that has dogged U.S.-sponsored peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians that resumed in July. Fourteen Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed since the negotiations began.
    In July, the Israeli Defence Ministry announced a crackdown on settler vandals, saying they were tantamount to terrorists and their attacks could fan sectarian violence.
    Israel cites Biblical and historical claims to the West Bank, but the United Nations considers its settlements there illegal and most world powers say they are an obstacle to peace. The mainstream settler leadership disavows the vandals in their midst but Palestinians say the attacks have been on the rise this year.
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