Israeli Military Kills Palestinian American Child Living in the West Bank

The Israeli military shot and killed a Palestinian child with U.S. citizenship in the occupied West Bank over the weekend. The killing comes as Israeli troops and settlers have escalated their violence in the West Bank amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Amer Mohammed Saada Rabee, a 14-year-old boy originally from Saddle Brook, New Jersey, was shot and killed by Israel soldiers on Sunday in the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya. Eighty percent of that village’s population is reportedly made up of Palestinian Americans who live or own homes there.

Two of Rabee’s friends were also shot and wounded by the soldiers, including 15-year-old Ayoub Jabara, a U.S. citizen, who is currently in intensive care. Another boy, 15-year-old Abdulrahman Shihada, was also hospitalized after the attack.

In a statement acknowledging the killing, the Israeli military claimed that they had “eliminat[ed] one terrorist and [hit] two additional terrorists.” They also claimed that the children “posed a danger to civilians” because they were supposedly throwing stones toward a highway.

Turmus Ayya Mayor Lafi Shalabi said the boys had been picking green almonds before they were shot. Rabee’s family denies that he was throwing stones toward Israeli citizens, as the Israeli military has alleged.

After the shooting, the Israeli military denied Rabee access to urgently needed medical care.

“[An] ambulance was not allowed to pass the checkpoint for 30 minutes, a denial in medical treatment that ultimately resulted in Amer’s death,” read a statement from the Palestinian American Community Center of Clifton, New Jersey. “Amer’s death was entirely preventable and horrifically unjust.”

A relative of Rabee’s who had witnessed the incident said that Israeli forces held Rabee’s body in an ambulance for more than 90 minutes.

At Rabee’s funeral, his mother described him as smart, kind and diligent in his faith. Mouman Jabara, his 13-year-old cousin, said that he loved riding his scooter and playing soccer. Jabara had been playing outside when Rabee was killed and had heard the fatal gunfire.

Jabara, who recently moved to Turmus Ayya from New Jersey, said that he loves living in Palestine “but I am always scared. Say I go out with friends — then suddenly there could be a raid” by the Israeli military or settlers, he said.

Rabee’s killing comes amid a rise in violent settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Israel has also expanded its military presence in the region in recent months as it continues to relentlessly bomb Palestinians in Gaza — despite the fact that such massacres are a violation of the ceasefire deal.

Reacting to news of the killings, the U.S. State Department offered the barest of sympathies.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the West Bank. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. … We acknowledge the IDF initial statement that expressed that this incident occurred during a counter-terrorism operation,” a statement from the department read.

Muhammad Rabee, the boy’s father, said the U.S. “turns a blind eye” to Israeli violence in the West Bank. Other Palestinians from Turmus Ayya condemned Washington for ignoring and enabling the violence that often targets U.S. citizens in the village, which is surrounded by a number of illegal Israeli settlements.

“Palestinian-Americans in Turmus Ayya are simply disappointed. … We are the forgotten citizens [of the U.S.],” said Yaser Alkam, head of Turmus Ayya’s foreign relations department.

After a funeral procession that was attended by hundreds of mourners waving Palestinian flags on Monday, Rabee was laid to rest in the village cemetery. He was buried next to Omar Qateen, a 27-year-old father and American permanent resident who was murdered during a settler rampage in the village in 2023.