JERUSALEM — A Florida teen is under house arrest two days after a violent encounter with Israeli police in Jerusalem left him bloodied sent him behind bars.
Fifteen-year-old Tariq Abu Hadir was released from an Israeli jail on Sunday. He’s the teen captured on a widely viewed video being repeatedly kicked by Israeli police forces.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. condemned what he called an “excessive use of force,” but indicated the teen is not completely innocent. “He was with six other people; they were masked, they threw petrol bombs at our police,” said Ron Dermer. “Three of them had knives, from what I understand.”
Tariq’s parents continued to maintain their child, a U.S. citizen on summer vacation, did nothing wrong. “I asked my son, ‘Did you throw rocks?’ He said no,” said Salah Eddeine Abu Khedair, the 15-year-old’s father.
“He didn’t have to throw rocks,” said Tariq’s mother, Suha Abu Khedair. “He’s just a Palestinian, in front of his neighborhood, hanging out with his relatives.”
Tariq is the cousin of Muhammad Abu Khdeir, the 16-year-old Palestinian who was kidnapped and found beaten and burned last Wednesday. On Sunday, Israeli police announced they arrested a group of Israeli suspects.
“Well, we have strong suspicions that there are nationalistic motives behind these crimes,” said Dermer. “We just have to wait the next few hours. All of the facts will be given to the public, but as you heard, the Prime Minister said he was going to bring them to justice very quickly.”
The beating and killing come days after three Israeli teenagers were murdered. Israel believes those killings were at the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The back-and-forth violence against children has led to even more rising tensions in the region. Demonstrations took place in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Arab communities in the northern part of the country over the weekend.
Tariq was released on bail but will remain under house arrest. He was quoted as saying he lost consciousness during the beating.