Dubai: The brutal assault of a fifteen-year-old Palestinian boy, an American citizen, has been highlighted by supporters on social media.
The family of the young boy Tareq Abu Khudair lives in Tampa Florida and told Gulf News they are seeking justice for their young relative.
On July 3, Tareq, who was in Palestine for the summer visiting family, was severely beaten by two undercover Israeli police officers in front of his home in Occupied East Jeruslem. The beating was caught on video and widely circulated in social media.
Tareq sustained serious injuries to his face and head and has been held by Israel without charge. He was denied critical medical care for five hours.
Tareq was a relative of Mohammad Abu Khudair, the 17-year-old Palestinian boy who was burned alive by Israeli colonists a few days earlier. The death of Mohammad had triggered widespread protests not only in the West Bank but in 1948 areas of Occupied Palestine.
There have been protests in many cities in the United States, including a demonstration in front of the White House on Saturday. So far, more than 10 Palestinians have been killed, more than 500 arrested and more than 1,300 homes have been destroyed or ransacked.
The discovery of the bodies of three missing Israeli teens has prompted an alarming call in Israeli social media for ‘revenge’ though no one knows who was responsible for their deaths. Hamas has not claimed responsibility although Israel has accused the group of being behind the incident.
Tareq’s father said his son has been ‘naturally upset’ about the loss of his cousin’s life.
“Tareq was the last person to talk to Mohammad before he was brutally murdered,” he said. “This has affected him pyschologically.
“We havent been able to speak to our son yet, he is still in detention. He is an American citizen and we cannot even speak to our own son.”
An online petition directed to the US State Department has been circulated to secure the release of Tareq and a proper investigation into his brutal assault. The United States has called for speedy investigation of an incident.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed Tarik was being held by Israeli authorities in Occupied Jerusalem and said a consular officer visited him on Saturday.
“We are profoundly troubled by reports that he was severely beaten while in police custody and strongly condemn any excessive use of force. We are calling for a speedy, transparent and credible investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force,” Psaki said.
Tareq was scheduled to appear in Israeli court on Sunday. Tareq’s family were joined by supporters on Saturday night who held a candlelight vigil for Tareq.
Meanwhile, Israeli police continued their campaign of arrests overnight through Palestine. Tension has been at an all-time high after a post-morten on Mohammad’s body revealed he was burned alive by Jewish colonists. About 35 people were arrested, nearly half of them minors, according to Israeli police.
Of those, 22 were arrested in and around the northern city of Nazareth, the most populous Palestinian in the 1948 areas.
The rest were arrested in Taibe in the north and the Triangle region around Umm Al Fahm, northeast of Tel Aviv, where clashes continued into Sunday.
“We are demonstrating against this incitement to hatred by Israelis online, who are saying ‘death to Arabs’,” one demonstrator in the Triangle town of Qalansuwa told army radio. Tensions have also been high in and around Gaza, where Hamas has its stronghold, with militants responding to the West Bank crackdown with rocket fire on southern Israel.
The air force has hit back with almost nightly strikes, which have killed three Palestinians so far.
