US investigators visit homes of two Palestinian-American teens killed in the West Bank

Source: Associated Press

US investigators visit homes of two Palestinian-American teens killed in the West Bank

BY JULIA FRANKEL
Updated 3:16 PM EST, February 15, 2024

JERUSALEM (AP) — The families of two Palestinian-American teenagers killed in separate but eerily similar incidents in the West Bank say investigators from the American Embassy have visited their homes to look into the shootings.

The launch of American probes into the killings of Mohammad Khdour and Tawfic Abdel Jabbar reflects what appears to be a lack of confidence in the Israeli justice system to properly investigate the cases. Rights groups have long said that Israeli investigations into killings of Palestinians rarely lead to prosecutions, and the State Department has previously called for an “expeditious and thorough” Israeli investigation into Abdel Jabbar’s killing.

Both shootings occurred as the Biden administration signals a desire to crack down on settler violence in the volatile territory.

Khdour, who was born in Hollywood, Florida, was shot last Saturday while driving with a cousin on a hillside in Biddu, the town just outside of Jerusalem where Khdour had lived since the age of 2, relatives said. Khdour was born in Hollywood, Florida.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-america-teenagers-west-bank-killing-33e35fb8e9a9a3641b32ad59b1e50379