June 21, 2016

Statement by PLO Secretary General Dr. Saeb Erekat on Israeli Killing of Palestinian Teenager Mahmoud Badran

Last night, the Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire at a car in the area between Beit Ur Al- Tahta and Beit Sira, carrying a group of Palestinian teenagers coming back from a visit to the only nearby swimming pool. The incident took place near a bypass road for Israelis, built on private Palestinian land, which is referred to as “road 443” also known as the “Apartheid Road.”

As a result, the Israeli Forces murdered Mahmoud Ra’fat Badran, 15 years-old. Additionally, two of his brothers were injured: Amir (16 years-old) and Hadi (17 years-old), along with Daoud Abu Hassan (16 years-old) and Majd Badran (16 years-old) who is visiting his family during this summer.

We condemn in the strongest terms this brutal attack. This cold blooded assassination reaffirms our calls to the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, to initiate an immediate extensive investigation into Israeli extrajudicial killings of Palestinians, particularly children. The international community has the responsibility to stop allowing Israel’s impunity for the crimes it commits against the occupied land and people of Palestine.