A spokesman for the US State Department says reports about the shooting death of a Palestinian woman who was harvesting olives "are incredibly concerning."
State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said on Monday he believes the Israeli military has taken steps to investigate and that the officer involved was suspended.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Hanan Abu Salama, 59, was shot dead by Israeli fire near the Palestinian village of Faqoua on Thursday.
The Israeli army did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Patel says the US expected Israel to complete an investigation swiftly and thoroughly.
He added that "it is not lost on us that the annual olive harvest is major economic activity to Palestinian people and to the Palestinian economy. And we believe that Palestinians need to have access to their land to conduct these kinds of harvests when appropriate."
According to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, Abu Salama was fatally shot by Israeli troops while picking olives with her family near the separation barrier that segments Israel from the West Bank.
