Mourners carry the body of 14-year-old Palestinian Omar Muhammad Saadeh Rabee, killed by the Israeli army, during his funeral in the village of Turmus Ayya, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on April 7, 2025. (Credit: John Wessels/AFP)
Palestinian-American Muhammad Rabee said Monday he felt abandoned by the United States, a day after Israeli forces fatally shot his 14-year-old son, Amer, during a family visit to their hometown in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Rabee’s family lives in New Jersey and, like many in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, holds dual U.S. citizenship. But Rabee accused Washington of ignoring rising violence and abuses targeting Palestinians, including American citizens.
“The U.S. turns a blind eye,” he told AFP. Wearing dark sunglasses, Rabee was seen carrying his son’s body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag, through the streets of Turmus Ayya, where dozens gathered for the funeral. Some waved flags and chanted as the procession moved from the local morgue to a mosque and then to the cemetery, according to an AFP correspondent.
The fatal shooting, which also left two other teens wounded, occurred near a main road through the West Bank. Rabee issued a message to former President Donald Trump, urging him to “stop this situation, stop sending weapons” to Israel that are used “to kill his people,” referring to Americans like himself.
According to Turmus Ayya Mayor Lafi Shalabi, the three boys, all aged 14, were shot with live ammunition while picking green almonds. One of the wounded is also a U.S. citizen, he said.
The Israeli military claimed the boys were “terrorists” who hurled rocks at passing cars. It released a black-and-white video showing three individuals, one appearing to throw an object, though it was unclear what it was.
Rabee dismissed the footage as inaccurate and denied that his son threw anything. “There were six bullets in his body — two in his heart, two in his shoulder, and two in his face,” he said.
'Forgotten citizens'
Rabee said the U.S. Embassy has a record of accepting Israel’s version of events in previous incidents involving violence in and around Turmus Ayya, including what he described as settler assaults, arson, and land theft, even when Palestinians presented conflicting evidence.
“All of these things, the U.S. Embassy turns a blind eye to them,” he said.
Other residents shared Rabee’s frustration. Majdi Arif, a retired teacher who lived in New Jersey for 20 years, said complaints to the embassy typically go unanswered.
“Usually, the U.S. Embassy does nothing,” he told AFP. “Or it reports the case to the Israeli government, which is useless to us.”
Shalabi and the Palestinian Health Ministry said an Israeli settler was present with the soldiers during Sunday’s shooting.
Yaser Alkam, head of the town’s foreign relations department, said many Palestinian-Americans in Turmus Ayya feel “simply disappointed.”
“We are the forgotten citizens of the United States,” he said. “We’ve reached out to the U.S. Embassy many, many times, to no avail.”
The U.S. State Department extended condolences to the Rabee family and acknowledged the Israeli military’s initial statement that the shooting occurred during a “counterterrorism operation,” adding that Israel is investigating. A spokesperson declined further comment, citing “respect for the privacy of the family.”
U.S. citizens at risk
“Turmus Ayya is made up of 80 percent Americans,” Alkam said.
Alkam, who lived in California for 25 years, said Israeli army raids on the town often escalate into deadly violence, with Palestinian children frequently shot for allegedly throwing rocks.
He warned that Trump’s “unconditional support” for Israel would only lead to “more violence with impunity.”
Tensions have surged since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 918 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since then.
“Whether it’s the Israeli army, settlers, or police — the entire Palestinian people are being targeted,” said Mayor Shalabi.