Israeli settler sentenced for murder of Palestinian family in 2015

Amiram Ben-Uliel on May 18, 2020, when transferred to court where he was convicted of an attack that cost the lives of three Palestinians, in July 2015. Avshalom Sassoni / Pool via Reuters

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In 2015, the home of a Palestinian family in the northern West Bank was burnt down in the middle of the night. An 18-month-old baby and his two parents were killed. On Monday, one of the two settlers arrested in this investigation was convicted by an Israeli court of this triple murder.

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With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Guilhem Delteil

The terrible facts date back to July 31, 2015. In the village of Kafr Douma, near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, an arson attack in the middle of the night had cost the life of an 18-month-old baby and his two parents. Only a 4-year-old boy had survived this attack, which had an international impact.

During his interrogations by the internal security services, Amiram Ben-Uliel repeatedly admitted to being the author of this attack . But the methods of the Shin Bet had been criticized, considered too extreme, and the court had finally rejected several confessions.

► Read also  :  Anger at the funeral of the mother of the burnt dead Palestinian baby

An act of " terrorism "

Despite everything, the judges ruled on Monday, May 18, that the guilt of this young man, now 26 years old, has been established "  beyond a reasonable doubt  ". The confessions kept in this legal procedure included too much detail, in their eyes, to have been fabricated. They even included, they point out, elements unknown to the investigators. Their judgment therefore retained the charges of murder, attempted murder and arson and the magistrates cited an act of "  terrorism  ".

The defense criticized this judgment, again attacking the methods of the Shin Bet. "  Amiram has been sentenced for acts he has recognized but not for acts he has committed,  " said his lawyer. He thus intends to appeal to the Supreme Court. The families of the victims said they hoped that the judgment "would  serve as a deterrent and prevent other terrorists from attacking the innocent  ".

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  • Israel
  • Palestinian territories
  • Terrorism

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