Community wants answers after teen Palestinian-American from New Jersey killed in West Bank
SADDLE BROOK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A family and community are looking for answers after a teen Palestinian-American who grew up in New Jersey was shot and killed in the West Bank.
Amer Rabee, 14, and two other teens were shot by Israeli forces for allegedly throwing rocks.
His family who spoke via zoom during a news conference Tuesday afternoon in Clifton, New Jersey said Amer was picking almonds with his friends in the West Bank when he was shot.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement Sunday that they identified "three terrorists who hurled rocks toward the highway, thus endangering civilians driving" in the Turmus Ayya area of the West Bank.
In the end, Rabee, who was not armed, was shot 11 times.
"And the doctor told me its two different machine guns they killed him with," his father Mohammed Rabee said.
Organizers and family in Clifton are calling for a full investigation, asking for the United States to rethink its funding for Israel's war in Gaza.
"This kid was an honors student in the class, he's always an A student," Amer's uncle said.
Rabee's uncle who lives in New Jersey and is on the board of the Palestinian-American Community Center and is also demanding answers.
"We demand the American Embassy take accountability for his death, likewise, the international community has a duty to protect the lives of all our children, regardless of race, regardless of ethnicity, and without question," his uncle said.
"Amer's journey in this life has ended too early and has ended quickly due to israel's senseless violence" Rania Mustafa, Executive Director of the Palestininan American Community Center said.
Gov. Phil Murphy released the following statement, asking for answers from Israel:
"Amer was a U.S. citizen and New Jersey native who grew up in Saddle Brook. As the circumstances of his death remain unclear, I am asking for answers from the Israeli government as to why Amer, who was just 14 years old, was killed. This tragic loss of life underscores that the current course of conflict is continuing to take too great of a toll on too many people. Tammy and I are praying for Amer's parents, Mohammed and Majed, and his four siblings, as they face this horrific loss."
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