The deputy spokeswoman for the US Department of State charged yesterday that Israel was targeting members of the family of the 16-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was kidnapped and gruesomely murdered by a band of haredi and ex-haredi terrorists on July 2.
Above: The murdered Arab boy, Mohammed Abu Khdeir
US-Israel Relations Continue To Worsen After US Accuses Israel Of Targeting For Arrest Members Of Murdered Palestinian Boy’s Family
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The deputy spokeswoman for the US Department of State charged yesterday that Israel was targeting members of the family of the 16-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was kidnapped and gruesomely murdered by a band of haredi and ex-haredi terrorists on July 2, the AFP reported.
Since then, at least two of Abu Khdeir’s cousins, both of whom are US citizens, have been arrested by Israel.
After the murder in early July, a 15-year-old cousin, Tariq Abu Khdeir, was arrested and says he was beaten while in detention. He had clear serious bruising to his face and body that matched his story. He was released and returned to his home in Florida.
According to the US State Department, on July 28 another cousin, also named Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was arrested.
"We can confirm that Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a US citizen, was arrested on July 28. The US consulate general in Jerusalem is providing consular assistance. A consular official visited him on August 14. The consulate is also in contact with Mr. Khdeir's family and his lawyer.…[W]e are concerned that the US consulate general in Jerusalem was not notified of his arrest by the government of Israel.…[and] we are also concerned about the fact that members of the Khdeir family appeared to be singled out for arrest by the Israeli authorities," US Department of State Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters yesterday.
16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir was kidnapped, choked, savagely beaten and then burned alive on July 2 in revenge for the Hamas kidnapping and murder of thee Israeli teens on the West Bank in June.
He was chosen for kidnapping by the three-person gang because he was thin and small for his age and looked several years younger than he actually was, making him appear vulnerable. He had no known connections to Hamas or to the West Bank kidnapping and murder.