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On 19 January 2024, Palestinian-American teenager Tawfic Abdel Jabbar was driving on Highway 60 in the West Bank when he was shot and killed. An Israeli police statement stated that an off-duty law enforcement officer, an Israel Defense Forces soldier, and an Israeli settler had opened fire on Abdel Jabbar's vehicle.[1][2] Abdel Jabbar was the 94th child, 358th Palestinian, and first American killed in the West Bank since the start of the Israel–Hamas war.[1][3]
Abdel Jabbar traveled to Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya with his family in May 2023 to connect with relatives and learn about Palestinian culture.[4][9][10][11] He was in his senior year of high school and was studying remotely at the time of his death.[7][12]
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.[13][14][15][16] Witnesses to the shooting have said that Abdel Jabbar was first shot by an Israeli settler, followed by an IDF soldier.[4][14] Multiple shots were fired into the back of the truck before hitting Abdel Jabbar.[7][17] After being shot, Abdel Jabbar lost control of the vehicle, leading to it flipping over multiple times.[1][3][13] Abdel Jabbar's father reported arriving at the scene of the shooting finding him with gunshot wounds in his chest and neck.[13][18] IDF soldiers were reportedly already at the scene when his father arrived, pointing guns and warning people to stay away from the area.[13][18][19] Joe Abdel Qaki, Abdel Jabbar's relative, and other witnesses were briefly detained by Israeli forces.[20][21] 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.[1][22][23] He died at the age of 17.[24][25][26]
Reactions
United States
Following Abdel Jabbar's killing, his family has criticized the United States' support of Israel. 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.”[7] 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?"[17][20][21]
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."[4][27][28]United States State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel called for an “urgent investigation to determine the circumstance of his death."[18][20]George Noll, Chief of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs, visited Abdel Jabbar's family to express condolences.[2] In response a rise in violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers, including Abdel Jabbar's killing, United States PresidentJoe Biden issued an executive order on February 1, 2024 imposing financial and visa restrictions on at least four Israeli settlers who committed acts of violence against Palestinians.[29][30][31]
A vigil at the Masjid Omar mosque in Harvey and a memorial drive in the New Orleans area were held.[32][33]
Israel
An Israel Police statement and IDF report stated that Abdel Jabbar had been involved in throwing rocks along Highway 60.[16][34][35] Mohammed Salameh, who was in the passenger seat when Abdel Jabbar was killed, and Abdel Jabbar's father disputed the claim.[1][13][18]
B'Tselem is conducting an investigation into the killing.[8][30]
