The United States condemned the killing of a Palestinian by West Bank settlers as “terror,” signaling increased concern about Israeli far-right violence; the State Department Spokesman clarified that the term was intentional.
The United States said Monday that West Bank settlers’ killing of a 19-year-old Palestinian was “terror,” sharpening its tone on far-right Israeli violence.
The State Department’s bureau in charge of the Middle East, in a weekend post on Twitter, which has been rebranded X, strongly condemned the “terror attack by Israeli extremist settlers.”
State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller clarified Monday that the word choice was not an accident.
“We have also been clear that accountability and justice should be pursued with equal rigor in all cases of violent extremism, whoever the perpetrators are,” he said.
He noted that Israel has made arrests, which he called “appropriate action.”
On Friday, Qusai Jamal Maatan was shot dead in Burqah, east of Ramallah, as armed settlers clashed with villagers.
Israeli media said that one of the two suspects was a former aide to a far-right Jewish Power party lawmaker, whose leader Itamar Ben-Gvir is public security minister.
The United Nations has warned of a dramatic spike in violence since Israel’s most right-wing government in history took office late last year in a coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has repeatedly criticized actions and statements from the coalition government while stopping short of countermeasures that could trigger public spats with Netanyahu, who is popular with the rival Republican Party.
Under President George W. Bush, the United States waged a global “war on terrorism” following the September 11, 2001 attacks by Islamist extremists.
His successor Barack Obama was more sparing in using the word “terrorism,” preferring the less loaded “violent extremism.”
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
