Father of American Teen Killed in West Bank by Israeli Fire Rails Against US Support as Son Buried
AL-MAZRA’A ASH-SHARQIYA, West Bank – The father of Tawfiq Ajaq, an American teenager who was killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank, strongly criticized the United States’ military support for Israel during his son’s burial on Saturday. The funeral, attended by hundreds of mourners in the family’s ancestral Palestinian village, marked another tragic incident in the ongoing conflict in the region.
Tawfiq Ajaq, a 17-year-old from Gretna, Louisiana, was laid to rest in the village of Al-Mazra’a Ash-Sharqiya after his parents brought him and his siblings to Palestine last year to reconnect with their Palestinian heritage.
During the emotional funeral, the grief-stricken father, Hafez Ajaq, spoke out against the long-standing U.S. support for Israel. They are killer machines, he expressed, referring to the Israeli forces. They are using our tax dollars in the U.S. to support the weapons to kill our own children. His heartfelt words resonated with many in attendance, who shared his sentiments about the ongoing violence in the West Bank.
The circumstances surrounding Tawfiq Ajaq’s shooting remain unclear. According to a relative, Joe Abdel Qaki, the teenager and a friend were having a barbecue in a village field when Israeli fire struck Tawfiq in the head and chest. Abdel Qaki, who arrived shortly after the incident, helped transport Tawfiq to an ambulance but said that Israeli forces briefly detained him and other Palestinians, asking for their identification before allowing them to proceed.
Israeli police reported that they received a report of a firearm discharge involving an off-duty law enforcement officer, a soldier, and a civilian. While the shooter’s identity was not revealed, Israeli police stated that the shooting targeted individuals allegedly engaged in rock-throwing activities along Highway 60, the main thoroughfare in the West Bank, not far from Al-Mazra’a Ash-Sharqiya.
The death of Tawfiq Ajaq adds to the growing number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, with nearly 370 Palestinian deaths reported since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted in Gaza three months ago. The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed concern about the violence and clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the region.
The grieving father, Hafez Ajaq, passionately implored Americans to witness the situation firsthand. The American society does not know the true story, he emphasized. Come here on the ground and see what’s going on… How many fathers and mothers have to say goodbye to their children? How many more?
The United States has been a longstanding supporter of Israel, providing both military and diplomatic support. While the U.S. administration has urged Israel to scale back its attacks, it has also faced criticism for its stance amid the ongoing conflict.
As investigations into Tawfiq Ajaq’s killing continue, the international community closely watches the situation in the West Bank. The tragic incident serves as a sobering reminder of the lasting impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the need for a peaceful resolution.
