Another American teenager killed by Israeli forces while your tax dollars continue funding the carnage – this time a 14-year-old Palestinian with US citizenship shot dead in the West Bank.
At a Glance
- Omar Mohammad Rabea, a 14-year-old Palestinian-American, was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya
- Israeli military claims they shot at “terrorists” throwing rocks, while local officials say a settler shot the teenager
- This is the latest American citizen killed in the region, following 17-year-old Tawfic Abdel Jabbar’s death
- Settler violence has intensified in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023
- Over 400 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7
Another American Citizen Killed on Foreign Soil – But Don’t Expect Outrage from Washington
It’s a troubling pattern we’re seeing far too often – Americans killed abroad while our government sends billions in military aid to the very forces responsible. Omar Mohammad Rabea, a 14-year-old with US citizenship, is the latest casualty in the increasingly volatile West Bank.
The Israeli military, predictably, claims they targeted “terrorists” who were hurling rocks at a highway. Meanwhile, the Mayor of Turmus Ayya reports something quite different – that Rabea was shot along with two other teenagers by an Israeli settler at the town’s entrance. Who’s telling the truth? Well, if recent history is any indication, don’t hold your breath waiting for a thorough investigation.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned the incident as an “extra-judicial killing” and criticized Israel’s “continued impunity.” That’s diplomatic-speak for “they’re executing people in the streets and getting away with it.” But don’t expect any serious repercussions from the Biden administration, which continues to provide the Israeli government with billions in weapons funding while occasionally expressing “concern” about civilian casualties. It’s the geopolitical equivalent of handing someone a loaded gun, watching them shoot your neighbor, and then sending a sternly worded letter saying you’re “troubled” by their actions.
A 14-year-old boy, an American citizen from New Jersey, was shot and killed by Israeli military forces in the West Bank on Sunday. https://t.co/b394CMkmBJ
— Courier-Post (@cpsj) April 7, 2025
Your Tax Dollars at Work: Funding Foreign Conflicts Instead of American Needs
This tragedy unfolds against the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza conflict, which has spilled over into escalating violence in the West Bank. Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, over 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Meanwhile, American families are being directly affected. Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, a 17-year-old Palestinian American from Louisiana, was killed earlier this year while visiting family in the West Bank. These aren’t just statistics – they’re American citizens, protected by a Constitution that our government seems to selectively enforce depending on political convenience.
“They are using our tax dollars in the U.S. to support the weapons to kill our own children,” said Hafeth Abdel Jabbar, father of the slain teenager from Louisiana.
He’s right. Americans struggle with inflation, crumbling infrastructure, border chaos, and a host of domestic issues while billions of our tax dollars flow overseas into conflicts that ultimately put American citizens at risk. The Biden administration recently approved another $14 billion in military aid to Israel. That’s money that could fix American bridges, fund American schools, secure American borders, or stay in American pockets. Instead, it’s funding military operations where American citizens end up as collateral damage. If that doesn’t qualify as government malpractice, what does?
— If Americans Knew (@ifamericansknew) August 20, 2024
Double Standards and Media Silence
The selective outrage from Washington and the mainstream media is nothing short of stunning. When Americans are killed by certain foreign entities, we see wall-to-wall coverage, immediate sanctions, and sometimes military response. But when Americans die at the hands of our “allies,” we get carefully worded statements about “investigations” that typically go nowhere. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby offered condolences for Abdel Jabbar and called for a “full investigation” by Israel. I’m sure that’s a great comfort to the grieving family as they plan a funeral instead of a college send-off.
“The American society does not know the true story”, concludes Hafeth Abdel Jabbar.
He’s hit the nail on the head again. Americans don’t know the true story because our media and political class don’t want us to. They don’t want voters connecting the dots between the billions sent overseas and the Americans coming home in caskets. They don’t want difficult questions about why American citizenship seems to offer such flimsy protection when it conflicts with foreign policy objectives. And they certainly don’t want to explain why certain American lives seem to matter more than others when it comes to demanding justice and accountability.
