A Jewish extremist who was arrested after the notorious firebombing of a Palestinian home in the West Bank in July sought to be released from detention in order to be present for his son's circumcision. But the Israeli courts rejected his plea on Monday, according to reports in the Israeli media.
The extremist, Meir Ettinger, 23, was arrested by the Israeli secret service, the Shin Bet, just days after the Duma home of the Dawabshe family was torched by suspected Jewish attackers. The fire resulted in the deaths of an 18-month-old infant and both his parents.
Ettinger has not been linked to the attack, but Israeli authorities have said he is a leader of the "hilltop youth," a group of Jewish extremists who carry out "price tag" attacks on Palestinians, supposedly as revenge for the Israeli government's activities against settlements and outposts in the West Bank.
Ettinger has been held in administrative detention by the Shin Bet for the past seven months and had petitioned the courts for a temporary leave to see his son's bris, or circumcision. On Sunday, a court in Beersheba rejected the plea, and the next day, the Israeli Supreme Court upheld the ruling, according to The Times Of Israel.
Ettinger is the grandson of far-right rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated the overthrow of the Israeli government in favor of making Israel into a Jewish monarchy. Kahane was assassinated in New York City in 1990.
--HS
