Israel Always Under Scrutiny, Not Palestinians!

Israeli Minister Blasts U.S. 'Hypocrisy'

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman lashed out at the "hypocrisy" he sees in the American and European request for a thorough probe into the shooting deaths of two Palestinian teens — allegedly by the Israeli military.

The shootings occurred on May 15 during a demonstration in the West Bank town of Beitunia commemorating what Palestinians call "the catastrophe," or "nakba," of Israel's creation in 1948.

"We don't need an American request to inquire [into] the subject," Liberman said on Wednesday during a visit to the West Bank.

"I reject any request and the hypocrisy we see worldwide."

Questioned about the shooting incident, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States expected Israel to conduct a prompt investigation, the Jerusalem Post reported.

And the European Union's missions in the West Bank and Jerusalem also called for a thorough probe and stated: "We reiterate the need for security forces, whether Israeli or Palestinian, to refrain from the use of lethal force, except in cases where there is a real and imminent threat to life."

Liberman said in response that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is "the most moral military in the world.”

"I only wish that this sort of requirement will appear in other cases. In Syria around 170,000 people were killed and I didn't see any request from the international community to inquire into these killings.

"Hamas has executed two men in the Gaza Strip after accusing them of spying for Israel, without a lawyer or a fair trial. I didn't see any request to investigate that."

The Palestinians claim that the IDF killed the two 17-year-olds by shooting them with live ammunition during the demonstration. The IDF insists it used only rubber bullets during the riot.

The shootings returned to the headlines in Israel on Tuesday after a Palestinian group published video footage showing the teens as they were shot.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF has "attacked the authenticity of the video footage published."