FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2025
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Washington, D.C. | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) calls for justice in the brutal killing of 14-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Mohammed Rabea, who was shot by Israeli settlers at the entrance of Turmus Ayya, a town northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Following the shooting, Omar was detained by Israeli soldiers, denied medical attention, and left to bleed to death—an act of cruelty that constitutes a gross violation of human rights and international law. Two other Palestinian-American boys, ages 14 and 15, were shot and wounded in the same attack. They remain hospitalized in serious condition.
We demand the FBI, the Department of Justice, and all relevant federal agencies immediately launch a criminal investigation into the murder of Omar Rabea and the attempted murder of two other American children. This investigation must be treated with the same urgency and seriousness as any other extrajudicial killing of U.S. citizens abroad.
This atrocity is part of a pattern of escalating settler and military violence against Palestinians, including U.S. citizens. The Israeli military’s claim that these children were “terrorists” who endangered passing vehicles with stones is not credible. Israel has a well-documented history of misleading the public about its actions, including the recent massacre of unarmed Red Crescent paramedics—a crime Israel initially attempted to justify with false and contradictory statements. Footage of the event later revealed the truth: the paramedics were unarmed and clearly identified, and were killed without provocation. In light of this, any Israeli claim regarding Omar Rabea’s murder must be regarded with deep skepticism.
ADC calls on President Donald Trump to demand full accountability from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently in Washington for official meetings. The murder of American children on foreign soil cannot be dismissed. The United States has a duty to protect its citizens, regardless of where they reside or what ethnicity they are.
This tragedy also reinforces the urgent need to stop arming those who carry out these attacks. Just last week, ADC called on the U.S. Senate to bring to a vote and block the sale of 20,000 Colt 5.56mm fully automatic rifles to Israeli police forces through S.J.Res. 41, citing grave concerns that these weapons would end up in the hands of violent settler militias. Even Israeli officials had previously paused the sale, acknowledging the risk that these rifles could be used by extremist groups that have carried out countless attacks against Palestinian civilians.
We urge the Senate to bring S.J.Res. 41 to a vote. Lawmakers must weigh the moral consequences of arming known human rights abusers and extremist militias. Blocking this sale is not just a policy issue—it is a matter of protecting innocent lives and preventing U.S. complicity in gross human rights violations.
The United States must stop enabling a regime that has shown a repeated willingness to kill American citizens, including children, without consequence. The murder of Omar Rabea cannot be allowed to fade into the background of this ongoing genocide in Palestine. Enough is enough.
Justice for Omar. Justice for every American and Palestinian life lost in this genocide.