A White House official confirmed that the Obama administration’s national security team recently met with a teenager who garnered international headlines after a video of him being beaten by Israeli police during a protest in East Jerusalem emerged on the Internet.
Tariq Khdeir, a fifteen-year-old Tampa resident of Palestinian decent, was hosted at the White House for continuing meetings with the Obama administration, which says that it is continuing to monitor the case.
Khdeir was filmed being beaten and arrested by Israeli police last summer during a riot in a Palestinian neighborhood over the death of Muhammad Abu Khdeir, Tariq’s cousin.
A White House official confirmed late Monday to the Washington Free Beacon that Khdeir and his family were hosted at the White House for meetings. The confirmation came following initial reports of the April 15 meeting by CNN.
"The U.S. government has remained closely engaged with Tariq and his family since his return from Jerusalem," a White House official told the Free Beacon. "As part of the follow-up on pending issues related to his case, National Security Council staff met with the Abu Khdeir family recently."
While Tariq Khdeir was originally accused of participating in the riot—which came amid a series of similar riots in Jerusalem last summer—he was cleared of all charges in January.
Khdeir’s cousin Muhammad was the victim of an apparent revenge killing in the wake of the abduction and slaughter of three Israeli teens by Palestinian terrorists.
Anti-Israel activists touted the video of Khdeir’s beating as proof of widespread Israeli aggression and malfeasance in East Jerusalem. Organizations such as the Council of America-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have featured Khdeir as a speaker at various anti-Israel conferences.
The family is reportedly seeking assurances that Khdeir will not be subjected to retaliation by Israel should he return to Jerusalem.
The Obama administration is reportedly miffed with Israel over the incident and believes the government has not taken such incidents seriously, according to CNN.
"Based on numerous conversations with administration officials on background, there is a widespread belief within the Obama administration that the Israeli government does not take these incidents against American citizens with the seriousness U.S. officials believe they merit," CNN reported.
"Unless there is video evidence that excessive force was used, as in the case of Tariq Khdeir, Israeli government officials inevitably conclude that the action taken was justified and in keeping with national security needs, officials say," according to the report.