SUNDAY’S killing of Palestinian teenager Amner Snoubar by Israeli soldiers has been branded a “monstrous act of brutality, motivated by hate and encouraged by impunity” by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

Executive member Hanan Ashrawi said the “hateful environment” perpetuated by the Israeli occupation must come to an end, warning of a culture of racism and dehumanisation of Palestinians in which such crimes are allowed to go unpunished.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has demanded the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate the incident, after 18-year-old Mr Snoubar was beaten to death by Israeli soldiers in a village north-east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

“This crime confirms the urgent need to provide international protection for our Palestinian people from the terror of the occupying power and that deliberate killings are an official approach followed by the occupying power,” the Foreign Ministry said.

It warned that the killing “reflects the extent of brutality and fascism that controls the political, security and military mentality of the ruling establishment in the occupying state…”

The Palestinian teenager was “repeatedly beaten on the back of the neck then left for dead” according to medical authorities; Israel has not commented on the brutal killing.

Ms Ashrawi said: “The vicious murder of 18-year-old Amer Snoubar at the hands of Israeli occupation forces is a monstrous act of brutality against a defenceless young man whose only crime was being Palestinian...”

“Such crimes are perpetrated and perpetuated by Israeli occupation soldiers because they are part of a regime that awards criminality and ensures impunity for crimes, domestically and internationally.

“The daily structural violence against Palestinians, which is the lifeline of this illegal occupation, entrenches a culture of racism, hate, and dehumanisation against the Palestinian people, allowing for such crimes to happen without shame, fear, regret or accountability.”

She added that the “hostile and hateful environment” also allows the inhumane disregard of Palestinian lives, citing the case of hunger-striking prisoner Maher al-Akhra who is believed to be close to death at more than 90 days without food.

It also explains the rise in the demolition of Palestinian homes and provides the context for Israeli occupying forces targeting of schools, medical facilities and other basic services, Ms Ashrawi warned.

“The only way for these crimes to end is for the illegal Israeli regime of occupation to end. International concern and outrage will not save Palestinian lives or property,” she said.