Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian-American Teen, Label Him “Terrorist”

Dubela, Annrisha Kusari: A 14-year-old Palestinian boy with US citizenship was shot and killed by Israeli forces during an incident in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on Sunday, Palestinian officials said, with Israeli authorities claiming that he was among a group of “terrorists” hurling rocks at cars on a nearby highway.

According to the mayor of Turmus Ayya, Adeeb Lafi, told Reuters earlier in the day that Omar Mohammad Rabea, a 14-year-old boy, was shot along with two other teenagers by an Israeli settler at the entrance to Turmus Ayya and that the Israeli army pronounced him dead after detaining him. All of Israel’s settlements and the Jewish settlers who live in them are illegal under international law.

However, the Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the incident as an “extra-judicial killing” by Israeli forces during a raid in the town, saying it was the result of Israel’s “continued impunity”.

This incident occurred during a “counter-terrorism activity” in the town where Israeli soldiers allegedly identified three individual throwing rocks at cars, prompting them to open fire.

The Town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, is home to a large community and is known for its dual Palestinian-American citizens. Witness accounts, such as that of Abdul Rahman Shehadeh, one of the injured teens, contradicted the Israeli military’s version.

As per AFP, the Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed its teams transported the teenager’s body to hospital and reported that two other boys were also wounded severely, during “clashes” in Turmus Ayya, one in the abdomen and the other in the thigh respectively. Both were 14 years old, and one of the two, Abdul Rahman Shehadeh, told AFP he was shot by a soldier while collecting fruit near the town. The second boy, Ayoub Asaad, was shot by the force in the abdomen but he also holds US citizenship, his father, Ahed Asaad told AFP.

He added, “We were stopped at a military checkpoint at the village entrance, and a soldier told me that he was the one who shot the three boys,”

Last June, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, 17, a US citizen, was fatally shot near the town of Al Mazraa Al Sharqiya. According to the boy’s uncle, the shooting occurred during clashes with the Israeli military that included stone-throwing by Palestinians.

Israeli settler violence has surged in the West Bank since Hamas militants stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, causing the deadliest iteration of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to date.

Settler violence in the West Bank, including incursions into occupied territory and raids on Bedouin villages and encampments, has intensified since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and clashes between settlers, armed Palestinians, and Israeli forces have grown more frequent, especially since the escalation in Gaza.