The United States is calling for a swift investigation into the killing of 17-year-old Tawfiq Ajaq in the occupied West Bank.
The United States has urged Israel to open an investigation into the death of Tawfiq Ajaq, a 17-year-old Palestinian-American who Palestinian authorities say was killed by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank.
At a news conference Monday in Washington, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that the United States was “devastated by this killing” and continued to “work closely with the Israeli government to obtain as much information as possible.
“We have called for an urgent investigation to determine the circumstances of his death,” Patel said. He added that the head of the US Office of Palestinian Affairs had visited Ajaq’s family to offer his condolences and would continue to help them in collaboration with the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
Ajaq was born in Gretna, Louisiana, near New Orleans, and was brought to the West Bank by his parents last year.
Ajaq’s relative, Joe Abdel Qaki, said Tawfiq and a friend were barbecuing in a field in the village when he was shot.
Speaking at his son’s funeral on Saturday, Tawfiq’s father, Hafez Ajaq, said Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank were “killing machines.”
Israeli police said they received a report Friday of a “discharge of a firearm, apparently involving an off-duty law enforcement officer, a soldier and a civilian.”
Police did not identify the shooter, although they said the shooting targeted people “allegedly engaged in rock-throwing activities along Highway 60,” the main northbound artery. southern occupied West Bank.
“This is not the first time that Defense for Children Palestine has not been able to confirm whether a settler or soldier killed a child. One aids and abets the other,” said Miranda Cleland, advocacy officer at Defense for Children Palestine, in an article on X.
Tawfiq is an American child who was chased and shot by an Israeli settler, THEN Israeli forces stopped and continued shooting. it is not the first time @DCIPalestine was unable to confirm whether a settler or soldier killed a child. One helps and encourages the other.
– Miranda Cleland (@MirandaCleland) January 20, 2024
At least 369 people have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers in the occupied West Bank since October, including 95 children.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also noted that 2023 was the deadliest year for children in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, with 124 Palestinian children and six Israeli children killed since the start of the year.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative party, told Tel Aviv Tribune that increasing raids and attacks in the occupied West Bank are an attempt by Israel to “completely” reoccupy the territory.
“This is a clear message from (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu,” Barghouti said. “He says there is no longer room for an independent Palestinian authority here. He is reoccupying the West Bank just as he is trying to reoccupy Gaza.”
