
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller today condemned the murder of a 14-year-old Jewish shepherd and what he called the anti-Arab violence that followed the murder, implicitly comparing the boy's murder and the Jewish side in the subsequent clashes between settlers and Palestinian Authority residents.
"We strongly condemn the murder of 14-year-old Israeli Benjamin Achimair and our hearts go out to his family and friends," Miller said.
In the same breath, he added, "We are increasingly concerned about the violence against Palestinian citizens and their property that took place after the disappearance of Achimair, which resulted in dozens of injuries, damage to property, and the killing of two Palestinians. Our hearts go out to the families of the murdered."
He also wrote on X, "We condemn the killings of 14-year-old Israeli Binyamin Achimair and two Palestinians, 25-year-old Jihad Abu Aliya and 17-year-old Omar Ahmad Abdulghani Hamed, in the West Bank in recent days. This violence must stop, and civilians must be protected."