On 19 January 2024, Palestinian-American teenager Tawfic Abdel Jabbar ^[a] was driving on Highway 60 in the West Bank when he was shot and killed. An Israeli police statement stated that an off-duty Israeli police officer, an Israel Defense Forces soldier, and an Israeli settler had opened fire on Abdel Jabbar's vehicle. ^{[5] [6]} Abdel Jabbar was the 94th child, 358th Palestinian, and first American killed in the West Bank since the start of the Israel–Hamas war. ^{[5] [7] [8]}

Abdel Jabbar's early life

Tawfic Abdel Jabbar was born and raised in Gretna, Louisiana. ^{[9] [10] [11]} His family frequently traveled to their ancestral home in Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya, West Bank. ^{[7] [12] [13]} The Abdel Jabbar family had lived there for over 200 years and both of his parents had grown up in the village. ^{[7] [12] [14]} Two of Abdel Jabbar's great-uncles were killed by Israeli settlers. ^[13]

Abdel Jabbar traveled to Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya with his family in May 2023 to connect with relatives and learn about Palestinian culture. ^{[9] [15] [16] [17]} He was in his senior year of high school and was studying remotely at the time of his death. ^{[18] [19]}

Killing

According to Abdel Jabbar's family, he was driving on Highway 60 around Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya with his friends to attend a picnic or barbecue when he was shot in the afternoon of 19 January 2024. ^{[20] [21] [22] [23]} Witnesses to the shooting have said that Abdel Jabbar was first shot by an Israeli settler, followed by an IDF soldier. ^{[9] [21]} Multiple shots were fired by an Israeli settler at the back of the truck. ^{[12] [1]} As Abdel Jabbar attempted to drive away from the shots, an Israeli military vehicle then began shooting from the opposite direction. ^{[24] [25] [26]} At least 10 shots were fired at Abdel Jabbar. ^[13] After being shot, Abdel Jabbar lost control of the vehicle, leading to it flipping over multiple times. ^{[5] [7] [20]} Abdel Jabbar's father reported arriving at the scene of the shooting finding him with gunshot wounds in his chest and neck. ^{[20] [27]} IDF soldiers were reportedly already at the scene when his father arrived, pointing guns and warning people to stay away from the area. ^{[20] [27] [28] [29]} Joe Abdel Qaki, Abdel Jabbar's relative, and other witnesses at the scene were briefly detained by Israeli forces. ^{[3] [4]} A Defence for Children International - Palestine found that Israeli forces prevented emergency responders from reaching the scene for at least 15 minutes. ^{[24] [30]} The preliminary medical report from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah stated that Abdel Jabbar was dead by the time he entered the hospital at 4:03 PM. ^{[5] [31] [32] [33]} The reported cause of death was a gunshot wound to the right side of the head. ^[34] He died at the age of 17. ^{[35] [36] [37] [38]} Abdel Jabbar was buried in a family cemetery in Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya. ^[13]

Reactions

United States

Following Abdel Jabbar's killing, his family has criticized the United States' support of Israel. ^[39] His mother said: “My son, he was killed by — I don’t want to say American bullets, but at least by American money. We live there, we work there. Our business is there, we pay in taxes there. So my taxes are going to the bullet that killed my son.” ^[12] During Abdel Jabbar's funeral in Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya, his father said: "The American society does not know the true story. Come here on the ground and see what’s going on. How many fathers and mothers have to say goodbye to their children? How many more?" ^{[4] [40] [41]}

United States National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby called Abdel Jabbar's death a "a tragic killing" and called on Israel to "conduct a full, thorough and transparent investigation into his killing." ^{[9] [2] [42] [43]} United States State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel called for an “urgent investigation to determine the circumstance of his death." ^{[27] [3] [44]} George Noll, Chief of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs, visited Abdel Jabbar's family to express condolences. ^[6] In response a rise in violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers, including Abdel Jabbar's killing, United States President Joe Biden issued an executive order on February 1, 2024 imposing financial and visa restrictions on four Israeli settlers who committed acts of violence against Palestinians. ^{[45] [46] [47]}

United States Congressmember Rashida Tlaib called for an investigation into the killing, stating: "Tawfiq deserved to grow old." ^{[24] [48]} A vigil at the Masjid Omar mosque in Harvey and a memorial drive in the New Orleans area were held. ^{[49] [50] [51]}

On February 10, 2024, another killing under similar circumstances occurred. 17 year old Palestinian-American Mohammad Khdour was shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces while driving in the West Bank, outside Biddu. ^{[52] [53] [54]} In response to the killings of Khdour and Abdel Jabbar, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his “deepest condolences” to the families. ^{[55] [56]} United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that investigations into both killings were pending. ^{[34] [57]}

Israel

An Israel Police statement and IDF report stated that Abdel Jabbar had been involved in throwing rocks along Highway 60. ^{[23] [58] [59]} Mohammed Salameh, who was in the passenger seat when Abdel Jabbar was killed, and Abdel Jabbar's father disputed the claim. ^{[5] [12] [20] [27]} The original police report did not mention that Abdel Jabbar was shot while driving, conflicting with witness statements. ^[34]

B'Tselem is conducting an investigation into the killing. ^[46]

Notes

References