(JTA) — The Jewish-Israeli charged in a West Bank firebombing that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents was arraigned.
At Amiram Ben-Uliel’s arraignment Wednesday in the Lod District Court, family and supporters of the victims and the alleged murderer yelled at one another, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Relatives of the Dawabshehs, whose home in the Palestinian town of Duma was attacked in July, shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is great”) and “murderers” at Ben-Uliel’s wife, to which she replied, “You are the terrorists!”
On Wednesday, Ben-Uliel, 21, denied the charges in a closed-door court session, according to the Post. If convicted, he could face multiple life sentences.
Ben-Uliel was charged in January with three counts of murder for killing Ali Saad Dawabshe, 18 months, and his parents, Saad and Rahim. He is also charged with attempted murder, arson and conspiracy to commit a racist-motivated felony.
A minor whose name has not been publicly released was also indicted in January. In February, Israel’s Channel 2 reported that Ben-Uliel had claimed he confessed only because he was tortured during interrogation and that he is in fact innocent.
The Shin Bet security service has denied torturing Ben-Uliel and said he provided details during the interrogation that only someone involved in the crime would have known.
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