False accusation: House fire caused by electrical fault, not arson
Police investigators proved that the fire in the house near Beit Amra was caused by an electrical fault and not by arson. After a series of contradictions, the mother and her son admitted that they had framed Israelis after their family members had been attacked in the past.
Police officers from the Hebron station were called last weekend to Beit Amra following a fire in a Palestinian house, where residents claimed that settlers had set the fire using a Molotov cocktail while they were sleeping. However, findings from a preliminary investigation by the Fire and Rescue Authority and forensic investigators of the Judea and Samaria District determined that an electrical fault (short circuit) caused the fire, with no evidence of arson found.
The mother and her son were taken to the Hebron police station for questioning. Significant contradictions in their testimonies led investigators to conduct a cautioned interrogation. That same day, the son retracted his statement, admitting he had not seen any Israelis near the house, and the arrest of the 14-year-old was extended by one day.
In contrast, the 53-year-old mother continued to maintain her version throughout the weekend. At the beginning of the week, a court granted the police's request to extend her detention until Thursday, and an appeal filed by her lawyer was rejected.
The case was transferred to the 'Hetz Yehuda' investigative unit. Further investigative actions and testimonies from other family members revealed additional contradictions. During a follow-up interrogation today, the suspect began to retract her claims, stating that she had likely dreamed the event. She explained that around 22:00 on the night of the incident, she went to sleep, only to wake up later and notice the electricity had been cut off.
She added that in her dream, she heard two settlers breaking a window and throwing a bottle into the room, and that she had chased them. She claimed she woke up in a panic, saw the flames, and evacuated her children. When asked why she had made the false accusation, she replied that because her family had been victims of violence by Israelis in the past, she decided to frame them and report it to the media. She is currently facing charges including giving false information and incitement.
Police noted that the evidence gathered confirms the fire was caused by an electrical fault and that no Israeli citizens were in the vicinity, confirming beyond any reasonable doubt that the accusation was false.
