The uncle of one of three Israeli teens found murdered earlier this week says 鈥渞evenge is unjustified,鈥� after a Palestinian teen was abducted and killed Wednesday in east Jerusalem.
Yishai Fraenkel, uncle of Naftali Fraenkel, called upon Israelis and Palestinians to 鈥渞efrain from any type of violence鈥� following the deaths of the four young men.
鈥淭he life of an Arab is equally precious to that of a Jew. Blood is blood, and murder is murder, whether that murder is Jewish or Arab,鈥� Fraenkel told 麻豆传媒 Channel in a telephone interview from Israel.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no justification whatsoever to revenge or do anything as a result of the barbaric murder of my nephew.鈥�
The bodies of Naftali Fraenkel and Gilad Shaar, both 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, were found in a field near Hebron earlier this week, 18 days after they were kidnapped in the West Bank. Thousands of Israelis attended the funeral as the teens were laid to rest on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Saed Abu Khdeir said his 17-year-old son, Mohammed, was forced into a car in an east Jerusalem neighbourhood. A burned body was found in a nearby forest hours later.
Khdeir鈥檚 family says the boy was killed by Israeli extremists out to avenge the deaths of the three teens.
鈥淲ho else could do this? There's no one else," the elder Khdeir said. He was still awaiting definitive forensic identification of his son鈥檚 body late Wednesday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Jewish settlers of 鈥渒illing and burning a little boy鈥� and called on Israel to 鈥渉old the killers accountable.鈥�
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a swift investigation into the 鈥渞eprehensible murder鈥� and cautioned Israelis and Palestinians against taking the law into their own hands.
U.S. President Barack Obama called the Palestinian teen鈥檚 death 鈥渁 heinous murder,鈥� while U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the killing 鈥渟ickening,鈥� and offered condolences to the Palestinian people.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird also issued a statement to say he is 鈥渁ppalled鈥� by the killing, and said 鈥渘othing can justify such an act.
鈥淚 call for calm and caution all against vigilantism,鈥� he said. 鈥淐anada hopes that the perpetrators of this heinous act will be swiftly brought to justice.鈥�
Khdeir鈥檚 death sparked clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces in Jerusalem on Wednesday. No serious injuries were reported.
Fraenkel said his family is 鈥渋n very deep pain鈥� over Naftali鈥檚 murder, and does not believe claims by Hamas that it is not involved. The killings were caught on audiotape, which have been broadcast throughout Israel, he said.
鈥淗amas is a terrorist organization as defined by the United States and most of the European countries,鈥� Fraenkel said. 鈥淚 would think twice before I listened to what they say. I think there鈥檚 ample evidence from numerous sources on the exact names of people who did it. It鈥檚 a brutal murder.鈥�
Fraenkel called the Palestinian teen鈥檚 murder 鈥渁 very tragic event,鈥� and urged police to investigate swiftly.
鈥淩evenge is unjustified,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nyone who takes the law into his or her own hands is doing the wrong thing.鈥�
