US Demands Israel Investigate Killing of Two Palestinian Teens

The US government said it expects Israel to investigate the deaths of two Palestinians after CCTV footage showed that both were not involved in the Nakba Day clashes.

The footage, released by Israeli NGO B'Tselem, shows teenagers Nadeem Siam Nawara, 17, and Mohammad Mahmoud Odeh, 16, being shot in the chest and back respectively by Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldiers.

"We're closely tracking the event and ask for additional information from the Israeli government. We expect the Israeli government to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation, to verify the facts, including whether there was a proportional threat by the protesters," said US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki at a press briefing in Washington.

"We express our condolences to the families of the deceased and urge all parties to express restraint," she added.

Israel's defense minister Moshe Ya'alon seemingly defended the actions of Israeli soldiers when he said that the protest -- which the two teenagers were not a part of -- was "violent, during which Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at border police officers who felt that their life was threatened, and acted accordingly".

Ya'alon, who said he had not yet seen the video, claimed that the footage had been manipulated with editing techniques.

The IDF echoed Ya'alon's claims that the video had been edited to reflect badly on the Israeli military.

"Last Thursday, a violent and illegal disturbance took place in Beitunya. The video in question was edited in a biased way and does not reflect the violence in the disturbance," the IDF statement read.

"An initial investigation with the forces operating in the area of disturbance did not use live fire. Nevertheless, the military prosecutor has ordered a limited internal investigation into the matter."

B'Tselem, which monitors human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories, has rejected the Israeli military's claims that no live fire was used against the victims.

The organisation said it had found "strong evidence" that IDF soldiers shot "live ammunition" at the protesters.