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Palestine to file ICC complaint over baby’s arson death
Palestine will hold the Israeli government 'fully responsible' for the death of an 18-month-old Palestinian baby in the West Bank
The Palestine Liberation Organisation will hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the death of an 18-month-old baby in an arson attack on the occupied West Bank and file a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over it.
Following the baby’s death on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rang Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to tell him that they must fight "terrorism" together.
Yet, Abbas said he had ordered his foreign minister to file a complaint at the ICC in The Hague.
"We want true justice, but I doubt that Israel will provide that," he said.
He had earlier said that, by encouraging settlements everywhere, the Israeli government is also encouraging thugs to carry out such attacks.
“This is a war crime and a tragedy for all of us,” he said.
The attack took place in Duma, near the northern city of Nablus. The Hamas government in Gaza has condemned latest incident, and called for "a day of fury in response to the relentless Zionist assaults on Jerusalem and the murder of toddler Ali in Nablus."
The US State Department also condemned what it described as a "vicious terrorist attack" in "the strongest possible terms," and urged Israel to "apprehend the murderers" and on both Israel and Palestine to "avoid escalating tensions".
In the clashes that followed the youngster's death, 14-year-old Palestinian Laith Khaldi was wounded by live fire north of Ramallah and died hours later in hospital.
The Israeli army said thsat Khaldi was shot after throwing a Molotov cocktail at forces at a checkpoint.
Also on Friday, a Palestinian man was killed and another wounded by Israeli forces after they approached a security fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel.
The UN believes that there has been at least 120 attacks by Israeli settlers since the start of 2015.
A recent report by Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organisation, showed that more than 92.6% of complaints Palestinians lodge with the Israeli police go without charges being filed.
