Israel charges 13 men for praising murder of Palestinians

Israeli prosecutors on Wednesday charged 13 men with inciting violence and terror for celebrating the murder of a Palestinian toddler and his parents in a firebombing that sparked international condemnation.

The suspects, five of them minors, were among gun-waving men filmed at a wedding in December celebrating the death of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha, whose house was attacked by Israeli settlers in July 2015 in the West Bank village of Duma.

Ali's parents later died from severe burns. His brother was the sole survivor from the immediate family.

One Israeli suspect in the firebombing was charged in January with murder, attempted murder, arson and conspiracy to commit a hate crime. A second was charged with being an accessory to committing a racially motivated murder.

Some of the 13 men charged on Wednesday, who are not accused of involvement in the attack, wore shirts with anti-Arab slogans and sang songs praising torching mosques and revenge against Palestinians.

Some also waved pistols, automatic rifles, knives and bottles fashioned to look like firebombs and stabbed pictures of the deceased Dawabsha family members.

According to a justice ministry statement, the suspects - the groom included - "called for the carrying out of acts of violence or terror or praised, sympathised or encouraged acts of violence or terror".

Given the circumstances and timing of the wedding, there was "a real possibility" the behaviour of the suspects would "cause acts of violence and terror", the justice ministry said.

Footage of the wedding was leaked to the press a few weeks after it took place, prompting condemnations from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said it showed "the true face of a group that constitutes a danger to Israeli society and to the security of Israel".