Israel’s Netanyahu Contacts Father of Slain Palestinian Teen, Reports Reuters

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister reached out on Monday to the father of a murdered Palestinian teenager, assuring him that those responsible for the heinous act would face justice, as tensions over the incident sparked protests in Arab communities.

The charred remains of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khudair were found in a forest in Jerusalem last week. Police have detained six Jewish suspects, believed to have carried out the crime in retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of three Jewish youths.

“I wish to express my shock and the shock of Israel’s citizens over the despicable murder of your son,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told Hussein Abu Khudair, the victim’s father. “The murderers will be brought to trial and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he added, following the announcement of the arrests.

Hussein Abu Khudair was unavailable for comments, but other family members have echoed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in suggesting that far-right Jewish settlers may have been behind the teenager’s death.

The incident has ignited clashes between angry Palestinians and Israeli police in East Jerusalem, leading to unrest that has spread to various Arab towns and villages throughout Israel.

The deaths of the three Jewish teens, who disappeared in the occupied West Bank on June 12 and were found dead the following week, have also fueled anger among Israelis. The Israeli government has accused Hamas militants of being involved in their deaths; however, the group has neither confirmed nor denied these allegations amid ongoing hostilities with Israel along the Gaza border.

After the funerals of the Israeli victims, tensions flared, with crowds in Jerusalem blocking roads and chanting hateful slogans against Arabs, resulting in attempted assaults on passing Arab individuals.

In a jointly published editorial, Israel’s outgoing president, Shimon Peres, and incoming president, Reuven Rivlin, promised a transparent investigation into the Palestinian boy’s death. They cautioned that “words can kill” and called for an end to incitement from both sides in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The bloodshed will stop only when we all understand that it is not our unhappy fate to live together, but rather our destiny to do so,” they wrote, emphasizing the need for mutual understanding in this complex and challenging environment.