The family of Khamis Ayyad, a United States citizen who was killed in a settler attack in the occupied West Bank, is calling for an independent investigation by the administration of President Donald Trump.
Ayyad, a 40-year-old father of five and a former resident of Chicago, died in Silwad, a town north of Ramallah, on Thursday.
His relatives confirmed on Friday his American citizenship and expressed their insistence on justice.
The incident marks the second killing of a U.S. citizen in the West Bank within the span of July. Earlier in the month, another American, 20-year-old Sayfollah Musallet, was beaten to death in a neighboring town, Sinjil.
William Asfour, operations coordinator for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), stood alongside Ayyad’s family, branding the killing as “murder.”
“We demand a full investigation from the Department of Justice,” Asfour stated. “An American citizen was killed. Where’s the accountability?”
According to reports from Mahmoud Issa, a cousin of Ayyad, settlers had set cars on fire outside Ayyad’s home during the early hours of Thursday.
In an attempt to extinguish the flames, Ayyad woke up and went outside, but then Israeli forces arrived and began firing tear gas in his direction.
The family believes that Ayyad succumbed to the effects of tear gas combined with smoke from the burning vehicles.
As the situation escalates, the number of settler attacks targeting Palestinian communities in the West Bank is rising sharply, especially following Israel’s military operations in Gaza that began in October 2023.
Settlers living in illegal outposts have increasingly converged on Palestinian neighborhoods, causing destruction and violence, all while being protected by the Israeli military.
This military backing often emboldens violence, leading to armed confrontations against Palestinians defending their communities.
Israeli military operations have also intensified, with an increase in deadly raids, home demolitions, and the displacement of communities.
In recent developments, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a non-binding motion aimed at annexing parts of the West Bank, adding further tension to the situation.
Two Israeli ministers referred to the current climate as “a moment of opportunity” to assert “Israeli sovereignty” over Palestinian territories.
Rights organizations argue that Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza constitute gross violations of human rights, with some even labeling them as genocide.
Asfour from CAIR-Chicago emphasized that the killing of Ayyad is part of a broader pattern of violence.
“Another American was killed in the West Bank just weeks ago,” he remarked, referring to Musallet.
“How many more before the U.S. takes action to protect its citizens abroad? Settlers burn homes, soldiers back them up, and our government sends billions to fund all of this.”
The U.S. Department of State has not yet commented on the situation as of the publication of this article.
Previous attempts from Musallet’s family seeking a U.S. investigation into his killing have also gone unanswered, with Washington maintaining that Israeli authorities are in the best position to investigate their forces and the settlers.
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, called for a robust Israeli investigation into Musallet’s death, labeling it a “criminal and terrorist act.”
However, more than three weeks post-incident, no arrests have been made in his case.
Since 2022, at least ten U.S. citizens have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers, and no criminal charges have been filed in any of these cases.
Ayyad’s death coincided with the ongoing detention of a U.S. teenager, Mohammed Ibrahim, who has been held without trial since February.
Family members of the teenager have reported severe weight loss and health complications, including a skin infection.
In response to Ayyad’s killing, Illinois State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid described it as part of a troubling trend of settler colonial violence.
He called for the repeal of an Illinois state law that imposes penalties on companies that boycott Israeli products, stating, “This shameful state law helps shield Israel’s violence and brutality from consequences.”
image source from：aljazeera
