An Israeli-American, identified as 26-year-old Elan Ganeles, was killed in a drive-by shooting Monday near Beit HaArava, an Israeli settlement outside of Jericho. The shooters are still unknown but assumed to be Palestinians.
Israeli officials said the gunmen carried out multiple drive-by shootings along a major highway outside Jericho, though the only reported casualty was Ganeles. The US Dept. of State also confirmed that Ganeles was a US citizen.
The perpetrators of this cruel terrorist attack must be held accountable. Elan Ganeles, a young man with his whole life ahead of him, was killed in cold blood by Palestinian terrorists. The settle rampage on Sunday was, of course, barbaric and monstrous, but that doesn't justify the killing of an innocent young man. Israeli forces must pursue these terrorists and acquire justice for Ganeles's grieving family.
No one wants to see killings in the holy land, but it's the occupation that has caused these tragedies. Palestinians are facing a state-backed campaign of ethnic cleansing and are lashing out against their colonizers. Emboldened by international silence after killing more Palestinians last year than in any other year since the Second Intifada, the occupation is becoming even more violent.