US urges Israel to go after settlers who burned houses and killed Palestinian in Huwara

27 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The US Secretary of State, Ned Price, has called on the Israeli authorities to prosecute and try the Israeli settlers who on Sunday stormed the West Bank town of Huwara, burning dozens of houses and vehicles and killing a Palestinian in retaliation for an attack in in which two settlers died.

“We hope that the Israeli government will guarantee full accountability and prosecute those responsible for these attacks and that there will be compensation for the loss of homes and property,” Price said at a press conference.

The US spokesman has described the attack on the Palestinian population as “absolutely unacceptable”. “There must be equally rigorous accountability and justice in all cases of extremist violence and the same resources must be dedicated to prevent such attacks and bring those responsible to justice,” he added.

Price has condemned the attack in which two Israeli brothers were shot to death near Huwara on Sunday and the death of a 27-year-old American-Israeli citizen on Monday near Jericho.

He has also valued the statements of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called for containment and that the settlers “do not take the law into their own hands.”

Lastly, he highlighted the agreement reached on Sunday in Aqaba, Jordan, between Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian and American representatives to reduce tension. Israel has pledged not to approve new housing in West Bank Jewish settlements for four months and not to legalize new settlements for six months, Price noted.