Jerusalem Clashes Erupt After Palestinian Youth Killed

Unrest Comes a Day After Funeral for Slain Israeli Teens.

The death of a Palestinian teenager sparked clashes between protesters and Israeli police in East Jerusalem on Wednesday as the Palestinian president blamed Jewish settlers for killing the youth.

The body of Mohammed Hussein Abu Khdeir was found in a wooded area of Jerusalem a day after the burials of three Israeli teenagers who were killed in the West Bank—raising questions of whether the Palestinian’s death was a revenge killing. Israel has blamed the Islamist militant group Hamas for killing the three Israeli teens.

The body was discovered after Israeli police were notified of a kidnapping. Within hours, protests and clashes erupted in the Shuafat neighborhood of East Jerusalem, where police said the alleged abduction took place. Dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks at a light-rail passenger station and police, who fired volleys of tear gas, bullets, rubber bullets and stun grenades, according to police and Palestinian witnesses.

The clashes continued into the late afternoon, leaving 50 injured including three journalists, according to Palestinian medics.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Jewish settlers of killing the Palestinian youth and said the Israeli government bore responsibility for their actions. He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to condemn the death.

Mr. Netanyahu said he asked law-enforcement officials to work as quickly as possible to investigate who was behind the “reprehensible murder” and what the motive was. He urged all sides not to take the law into their own hands.

“Israel is a state of law and everyone is obligated to act in accordance with the law,” Mr. Netanyahu said.

The White House condemned the murder of the Palestinian teenager and called on Israelis and Palestinians to take necessary steps to prevent an atmosphere of revenge.

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