The state on Sunday signed an agreement regarding the indictment pertaining to the Duma arson case dating back to the summer of 2015, in which extremist right-wing Jews are believed to have firebombed the home of an Arab family in the PA (Palestinian Authority) village of Duma, leading to the deaths of members of the Darawshe family.

According to a KAN News report, under the arrangement, the minor suspect will confess to various charges, including a number of price tag attacks, and most important: in the amended indictment, the minor will be disconnected from the shocking murder and will be mentioned only in the context of an arson act.

In addition, the State Attorney’s Office retracted the serious accusations attributed to the minor at the beginning of the process, and he would be acquitted of the burning of the “Hador Metzuyan” church and other charges. As for the charge of membership in a terrorist organization, the parties have yet to reach an agreement.

This arrangement is considered dramatic, because throughout the affair the ISA (Israel Security Agency/Shin Bet) and the State Attorney’s Office insisted that the minor was responsible for the murders in Duma together with the central defendant Amiram Ben Uliel.

As noted, the lenient plea bargain with ‘A’ comes after two other suspects among activists identified with the far right; Yinon Reuveni and the minor ‘Z’, whose name is associated with other price tag files, were acquitted.

The initial statements of Reuveni and minor ‘A’ were disqualified in a district court, which ruled that these were not of their free will, but the result of physical force and threats against them.

Even in the plea bargain now being heard, the reason for his signature while withdrawing the state withdraws its serious accusations against the minor is the fact that all his confessions were taken from him using improper physical means – according to the court.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)