Booker Statement on Fatal Shooting of New Jersey Teen in the West Bank

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement:

"The death of a 14-year-old New Jerseyan and American citizen, Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee, in the West Bank is another devastating reminder of the horrific human cost of ongoing conflict and tensions in the region. There must be a full and transparent accounting of the circumstances around his death and the actions of Israeli security forces. During Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the White House today, I urge President Trump to seek answers and accountability.

"From the death of Amer Rabee, Shireen Abu Akleh, and family members of constituents across New Jersey, to Hamas taking Edan Alexander, also an American citizen from New Jersey, hostage - our New Jersey communities are reeling every day because of the personal impact of ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"I've long had disagreements with the actions of the Netanyahu government, from their efforts to erode Israeli democracy to their interference in US politics - to their settlement expansion policy in the West Bank. I have also long warned of the increasing danger posed by extremist Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. I call on the Trump administration to reinstate sanctions on perpetrators of such violence, which directly threatens the objectives of protecting innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians and preventing the war in Gaza and tensions in the West Bank from escalating into a wider regional conflict.

"To press for change, I traveled to Israel and the West Bank in March 2024 to meet with Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders and continue to engage with our government as well as with leaders across the region.

"And I will continue to do everything I can to push for a two-state solution, where we protect Israel's right to exist as a democratic Jewish state and affirm the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and a state of their own. To start this work, all parties must recommit to working toward a ceasefire agreement that gets the hostages home, facilitates humanitarian aid into Gaza, and breaks the cycle of violence in the West Bank and the region. This is the only way to truly create a pathway towards a just and sustainable peace in the region that protects Israelis and Palestinians."