MK Tibi: Israeli gov't committing 'war crimes in occupied territories'

Tibi condemns death of Palestinian teen during clashes with IDF, says that while the lives of three missing boys are important, the life of a Palestinian teen is no less important.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
MK Ahmed Tibi at PA event 311 (photo credit: Courtesy of PMW)
MK Ahmed Tibi at PA event 311
(photo credit: Courtesy of PMW)
MK Ahmed Tibi responded Friday to the ongoing IDF operation to find the three missing boys in the West Bank and the death of a Palestinian teenager overnight Thursday, saying that "the Israeli government is exploiting a tragic event and committing ongoing war crimes in the occupied territories."
 
Mohammed Dudin, 15, was reportedly killed amid clashes between security forces and Palestinians in the village of Dura, near Hebron, close to where the three Israeli teenagers went missing eight days ago.
"The lives of the three missing boys are no doubt important," Tibi said. "But those who claim and behave as though their lives are more important than Mohammed Dudin's life, or the lives of an entire people, promote a double standard and a despicably elitist outlook."
Tibi also condemned the "destruction of hundreds of homes and offices," "mass arrests" and the "shooting of civilians and demonstrators" carried out by the IDF.
Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops at various locations across the West Bank, including the Kalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem, and residents reported a number of injuries. The IDF was checking for details of the clashes, a spokeswoman said.
Around 320 Palestinians have been arrested so far since the teens went missing, 240 of which are members of Hamas, the IDF said.
Israel has said its West Bank operation is two-fold: to find Gil-Ad Shaer and US-Israeli national Naftali Fraenkel, both aged 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, and to deal a substantial blow to Hamas, the terror organization accused of conducting the abduction.
Reuters contributed to this report.