Outrage over Palestinian death

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday accused extremist Jewish settlers of "killing and burning a little boy" and demanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemn the murder and punish those who carried it out.

"I demand the Israeli government punish the killers if it wants peace between the Palestinian and Israeli people," he said in a statement, adding Israel must also "take concrete steps on the ground to stop [revenge] attacks and the chaos caused by the Israeli escalation."

Shortly afterwards, Netanyahu issued a statement condemning the "despicable murder" and urged Israeli authorities speed up their investigation into Wednesday's incident.

Secretary of State John Kerry added his own condemnation, saying in a statement, "There are no words to convey adequately our condolences to the Palestinian people."

President Barack Obama's national security advisor Susan Rice said on Twitter that the murder of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khder was "heinous" and called on both Israelis and Palestinians to avoid a cycle of retribution and revenge.

Hamas outrage

Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, said Israel would "pay" for the teenager's kidnap and murder.

"We send our message to the Zionist entity and its leaders, which hold direct responsibility [for the murder], that our people will not let this crime pass, nor all the killings and destruction by your settlers," Hamas said. "You will pay the price for these crimes."

The Israeli government blamed Hamas for the recent unsolved abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers. It launched a campaign against the Islamist movement's West Bank network, which left several Palestinians dead.

Hamas has accused Netanyahu of "giving orders to settlers" to carry out Wednesday's kidnapping and killing, but it is not yet clear who is behind the incident.

Clashes in east Jerusalem

The killing sparked violent clashes in east Jerusalem on Wednesday. Palestinians threw stones and Molotov cocktails at riot police, set tires on fire and a large garbage container. Light rail stations were also torched.

Security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and sound bombs on the protesters, injuring dozens of people.

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of angry right-wing Israelis demonstrated in central Jerusalem over the deaths of the three Israeli teenagers, chanting "death to Arabs."

Netanyahu called on all sides "not to take the law into their own hands."

Israeli forces confirmed on Wednesday that they had found a body in a forest west of Jerusalem, but have not formally said it is that of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was reported kidnapped from the city's eastern Arab sector before dawn.

The boy's cousin, Saed Abu Khdeir, said relatives had identified the body as that of the missing teenager. They said Khdeir was approached by a car and forced inside before it sped off.

dr/ipj (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)