JERUSALEM — Thirteen Jewish Israelis who celebrated the death of a Palestinian baby in a firebombing during a wedding, including the groom, have been indicted on charges of  incitement.

Five of the people charged on Wednesday at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s court are minors between the ages of 14 and 17.

The wedding took place in December 2015.  A video from the wedding first broadcast on Israel’s Channel 10 in the days after the ceremony shows friends of the suspected assailants in the July 2015 attack on a home in the Palestinian village of Duma that killed three members of the Dawabshe family — a toddler and his parents — stabbing a photo of Ali Dawabsheh, 18 months, and waving knives, rifles, pistols and Molotov cocktails. The revelers also chant the words to a song that includes a verse from Judges 16:28, in which Samson says, “Let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” The crowd substitutes “Palestinians” for Philistines.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Wedding singer Sinai Tor, who sang the inciting song, was among those indicted. The groom is Yakir Ashbal, 21,  who was described by Channel 10 as “well known in the radical right.” He has told Israeli media that he did not see the the activity captured on camera at his wedding.

An investigation was launched into the incident, even before the broadcast of the video on Dec. 23, by the Nationalistically Motivated Crimes Unit of the West Bank police.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount