Radical Orthodox Jews stab photo of murdered Arab baby at wedding ceremony (VIDEO)
Israeli police are investigating a wedding video in which ultra-Orthodox Jews can be seen brandishing weapons and stabbing a portrait of an 18-month-old baby who was brutally burnt to death in the summer.
The footage, which was taken at an Orthodox wedding at the start of December, was also condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he was disgusted by the “shocking images.”
“The shocking pictures that were broadcast this evening show the true face of a group that constitutes a danger to Israeli society and to the security of Israel. We are not prepared to accept people who deny the laws of the state and do not view themselves as subject to them. The pictures underscore how important a strong ISA (Shin Bet) is to the security of us all,” he wrote on Facebook, as cited by the Jerusalem Post.
The video showed a number of youths with ear locks and wearing skull caps dancing. One person could be seen with a Molotov cocktail, while others were brandishing knives and guns. However, most shockingly, a person is seen stabbing a portrait of Ali Dawabsheh, the toddler who was killed as he slept earlier this year in the town of Duma.
The attack, early on the morning of July 31, saw unidentified Israeli assailants hurl a Molotov cocktail through a window of the Dawabsheh’s home. Saad Dawabsheh’s 18-month-old son, Ali, was killed in the blaze, while his other son, 4, and his wife were seriously injured. Saad later died of injuries he sustained in the attack.
READ MORE: Father of Palestinian toddler killed in West Bank arson attack dies from injuries
The arsonists left inscriptions on the wall of the house, saying: “Long live the Messiah” and “Revenge.”
“The Judaism of those who dance on the blood of babies is not my Judaism,” said Zionist Union Knesset Member Tzipi Living, according to Haaretz. read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.693528. “This is a group that wants to destroy Jewish Israel, to destroy this country from within, to turn it into a state of hatred and to destroy the regime from within,” she said.
Video shows Jewish radicals celebrating wedding by stabbing photo of Dawabsheh baby https://t.co/Ra7tp1SB0Cpic.twitter.com/VzKr98m3qZ
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) December 23, 2015The footage was shown on Channel 10 in Israel, while the broadcaster added that some of the guests at the wedding were known to be friends of those accused of the murder of the Dawabshehs.
Police say they are investigating the incident and will look to question those brandishing weapons and will revoke their gun license.
Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog wrote on Twitter, “You miserable people, you’ve forgotten what it is to be Jews. You disgrace your skullcap, your prayer shawl and the name of God. Whoever dances at a wedding and celebrates the murder of a sleeping baby is not Jewish and not Israeli. He should be put behind bars as quickly as possible."
Palestinians and Arab Israelis have been critical of the Israeli authorities for not doing enough to fight Jewish extremism.
“When you talk about Jewish extremism, you’re not talking about a group isolated from other groups in the Jewish society that are less violent, who are on the margin … some of these people are part of legitimate circles, such as religious community leaders,” theology professor Menachem Friedman told RT in September.
In the wake the arson attack, Prime Minister Netanyahu called for “zero tolerance” for Jewish extremists, while the cabinet approved new measures against Israelis who attack Palestinians, such as suspects being held in “administrative detention” - the process of holding suspects without trial which had been previously exclusively used against Palestinian terror suspects.
Three Jewish youths were held in administrative detention following the deadly arson attack. However, Shin Bet has yet to gather enough evidence concerning the attack on the Dawabshehs to charge the suspects, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
