Report: Grandfather of Slain Palestinian Toddler Taunted by Jewish Protestors

Earlier today, an Israeli court held a hearing in the case of two Jewish suspects accused of firebombing the home of a Palestinian family in 2015, killing 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha and his parents, Riham and Saad. According to a report in The Times of Israel, as the victims’ relatives walked into the courthouse, a gaggle of about two dozen Jewish protestors started taunting them, chanting “Where’s Ali? There’s no more Ali. Ali was burned. Ali’s on the grill.”

As journalists, it is our duty to shed light on all facets of any given story, particularly intricate ones, like the Dawabsha murder. It matters that some of the key confessions in the case were only delivered after the two suspects were tortured, and it matters that these confessions were deemed inadmissible in court. Emotions, no matter how righteous, should never interfere with the pursuit of justice.

As Jewish journalists, it is our duty to practice love, or at least tolerance, for all Jews. It’s a value we take to heart at Tablet: No matter how fierce our disagreements, no matter how noxious we may find each other’s ideas or inclinations, we aspire to keep the tent big and the conversation robust, even when—especially when—we’re tempted to break apart into a dozen smaller tribes. Disagreements, no matter how profound, should never interfere with the pursuit of community.

But if this report is true, in the case of people who chant gleefully about the death of a Palestinian toddler, however, neither of these rules apply.

Those who would look a bereaved grandfather in the eye and taunt his unthinkable loss are not worthy of our empathy. They deserve neither context nor compassion. We’ve no other duty but to tell them that they’re not of us—not as Jews, not as human beings.

Liel Leibovitz is a senior writer for Tablet Magazine and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.