Electrical blaze hits Dawabsha home in Duma

Israeli, Palestinian officials say fire is not linked to arson in which two members of family were killed.

By BEN HARTMAN, KHALED ABU TOAMEH, TOVAH LAZAROFF
RELATIVES of Sa’ad Dawabsha mourn at his funeral in Duma on August 8. (photo credit: REUTERS)
RELATIVES of Sa’ad Dawabsha mourn at his funeral in Duma on August 8.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The cause of a fire Monday morning in the Duma home of Minwer Dawabsha – whose brother Mamoun’s house was torched last month in an arson attack – appears to be electrical, according to the National Fire and Rescue Service.
On July 31, Mamoun’s house was torched along with that of his neighbor and cousin, Sa’ad, allegedly by Jewish terrorists.
Sa’ad, 31 and his son 18-month old son, Ali, were killed in that attack. His wife, Reham, 27, and son, Ahmed, 4, are recovering from serious burns at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.
Palestinian officials also said there was no link between the two incidents and added that Monday’s Duma fire was not carried out by right-wing Jewish extremists.
A senior PA security official said that he ruled out the possibility that the house was set on fire by settlers.
“Although are options are open, it’s premature to point at any party,” the official said. “Also, there are no indications that settlers were behind the arson.
The official said three members of the Dawabsha family were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.
Palestinian Authority Governor of Nablus Akram Rajoub said PA security forces were continuing their investigation into the incident. He added that so far there were no signs regarding the identity of the perpetrators.
“We will pursue our investigations and measures and announce the results when we know what happened,” he said.
In Israel the coincidence of a fire breaking out in the homes of two brothers led some right-wing politicians to question the conclusion by security forces, including the IDF and the police, that the July 31 arson attack was likely caused by Jewish extremists.
MK Oren Hazan (Likud) wrote a parliamentary question to the defense minister on Monday calling for an investigation into the blaze, saying that it could indicate that the fatal arson last month was the result of a feud between families in the village, and not an attack by Israeli extremists.
“There is information about a feud between families, and the Shin Bet and Palestinian security forces must investigate the motive for the previous firebombing and give answers quickly.”
He added, “In light of the proximity of the events, I wonder if there is a connection between the talk about a feud between families in Duma and the second arson of a home by members of the same family, like what happened three weeks ago.”
Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.