US condemns murder of Israeli teen, unrest in West Bank

Washington, United States – AFP

The United States on Monday condemned the murder of a 14-year-old Israeli boy in the occupied West Bank, as well as the subsequent spike in violence in the Palestinian territory.

“We strongly condemn the murder of 14-year-old Israeli Benjamin Achimeir and extend our sympathies to his family and friends,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“We are also increasingly concerned by the violence against Palestinian civilians and their property that ensued in the West Bank… resulting in dozens of injuries, property damage and the killing of two Palestinians,” he said.

“The violence must stop.”

Miller called on all sides to “take measures to protect all communities from harm,” adding: “We urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to do everything possible to de-escalate tensions.”

The teenager went missing early Friday from the Malachi Hashalom outpost near the city of Ramallah.

His body was found nearby, the Israeli army and security forces said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his death a “heinous murder.”

After the boy went missing, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching cars and homes.

The West Bank unrest came amid an increase in tensions in the territory, against the backdrop of Israel’s war on Gaza, in which it has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.