Israeli official slams Kerry after swift 'Conclusion' and condemnation of Arab teen’s death.(TOI).
An Israeli official castigated Kerry for the strongly worded statement, which came hours after the death of 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir, since it was issued before police had declared a motive for the crime.
“There are no words to convey adequately our condolences to the Palestinian people,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in the statement.
US President Barack Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice said on Twitter that the murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir was “heinous” and called on both Israelis and Palestinians to avoid a cycle of retribution and revenge.
According to the testimony of local residents, Khdeir was seen being forced into a car by three Israelis in East Jerusalem. Police later confirmed a body was found in a forest in West Jerusalem.
In his statement, Kerry condemned the killing in “the strongest possible terms.”He said it was sickening to think a young boy could be “snatched off the streets and his life stolen from him and his family.”
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Kerry’s remarks seemed premature, considering the wait-and-see approach the US government had initially displayed last month regarding the abduction and killing of the three Israeli teens.
“How does he [Kerry] know it is an act of vengeance? If it is, obviously the strong condemnation is more than justified. But, apparently, waiting for information, waiting for evidence from intelligence or police investigation, is only required when the victim is Israeli,” said the official.Read the full story here.
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