Washington confirmed Friday that a Palestinian teenager shot dead by Israeli troops was a US citizen – the second time this week an American child has fallen victim to the ongoing conflict.
The army said that the youth killed Friday had been about to hurl a petrol bomb at Israeli motorists near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
An army spokesperson said troops posted at the village of Silwad to protect a major road widely used by Jewish settlers in the occupied territory spotted a person about to hurl a petrol bomb.
“The forces fired immediately to neutralise the danger… and confirmed a hit,” she said.
Palestinian officials named the youth as Orwa Hammad, 17, saying he was shot during a stone-throwing protest against troops, a regular occurrence at Silwad, near Ofra settlement.
US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said the US “expresses its deepest condolences to the family of a US citizen minor who was killed by the Israeli Defence Forces”.
Calling for “a speedy and transparent investigation”, Psaki said officials from the US consulate in Jerusalem were in touch with the family of the slain youth.
“We continue to urge all parties to help restore calm and avoid escalating tensions in the wake of the tragic recent incidents in Jerusalem and the West Bank,” said Psaki.
Locals in Silwad said Hammad’s father lives in the United States.
Also on Friday, police in annexed east Jerusalem clashed with Palestinians, firing tear gas to disperse stone-throwing protesters.
They were deployed in force ahead of weekly Muslim prayers as the army restricted access to a flashpoint mosque, after a deadly Palestinian attack sent tensions soaring.