EU Urges ‘Swift’ Probe After Israel Kills Palestinian Teen
The 27-nation bloc’s delegation to the Israeli-occupied West Bank issued the request in a tweet on Saturday.
“Extending our heartfelt condolences to Ali [Abu Alia]'s parents and family. This shocking incident must be swiftly and fully investigated by the Israeli authorities in order to bring the perpetrators to justice,” it said.
“Children enjoy special protection under international law. How many more Palestinian children will be subject to the excessive use of lethal force by the Israeli security forces?” the delegation asked.
“14 years old child Ali Abu Alia was killed yesterday in Al Mughair village near Ramallah. Children enjoy special protection under international law. How many more Palestinian children will be subject to the excessive use of lethal force by the Israeli security forces? 1/2 pic.twitter.com/8RHbDQhhrz
— EU and Palestinians (@EUpalestinians) December 5, 2020”
Ali was shot in the stomach during a protest against Israeli occupation in the al-Mughayyir village near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday.
He was taken to hospital in Ramallah, but succumbed to his injuries.
The United Nations’ Middle East envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, also said he was appalled by the killing, Press TV reported.
“Israel must swiftly and independently investigate this shocking and unacceptable incident,” he tweeted.
Israel occupied the West Bank in a war that it launched against Arab countries in 1967. Ever since, it has been dotting the territory with illegal settlements.
The illegal structures have, by now, come to house more than 450,000 settlers against the West Bank’s 2.8-million-plus Palestinian population.
The deaths are a routine occurrence across the West Bank that witnesses daily protests against Israeli occupation and aggression.
The Western-modernized Israeli military does not hesitate to unleash lethal force on the demonstrators, who are armed by nothing more than pieces of rock.
The military, however, never acknowledges using live ammunition, claiming it only fires rubber-coated bullets at the demonstrators.
Palestinian factions have reacted with outrage to the Friday murder, calling it a “war crime” and urging solidarity among Palestinians in the face of the apartheid regime.
The West Bank-based Fatah Party has urged unity among Palestinians, while Hamas, a resistance group that is headquartered in the nearby Gaza Strip, has called for “national consensus on the option of resisting the occupation.”
