The family of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen from Florida, is demanding an investigation from U.S. authorities following his fatal beating by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Known as Saif, Musallet was described by his family as a “kind, hard-working, and deeply-respected young man” who was working to achieve his dreams.
On Friday, during a violent assault, Israeli settlers reportedly surrounded Musallet for three hours, aggressively preventing medics from reaching him. His family expressed their devastation in a statement, stating, “This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face,” and called for the U.S. State Department to hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.
Despite previous incidents of violence against U.S. citizens in the region, the U.S. government has historically refrained from conducting its own investigations into killings involving Israeli forces. Officials often assert that Israel is equipped to investigate its own actions, although such inquiries rarely result in criminal charges against settlers or soldiers.
In response to the recent incident, a spokesperson for the State Department noted that the safety and security of American citizens overseas is a top priority. However, they declined to provide specifics regarding the Musallet case, citing the family’s privacy.
Since 2022, Israeli forces have been linked to the deaths of at least nine U.S. citizens, including Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera reporter. Yet none of these cases have led to formal charges against those responsible for the violence.
Advocacy organizations, including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), are urging the U.S. government to stop viewing Palestinian American lives as “expendable.” ADC stated, “Israeli settlers lynched 20-year-old Palestinian American Sayfollah Musallet, while U.S. officials stayed silent.” The advocacy group noted that Musallet was visiting family in the West Bank for the summer when he was killed while protesting illegal land seizures.
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) raised a critical question regarding President Donald Trump’s commitment to prioritizing U.S. interests in the face of this tragedy. “Will he uphold his ‘America First’ promise when it’s a Palestinian-American whose life was taken? Or will he once again bow his head to Israel, no matter the cost in blood?” AMP questioned in their statement, emphasizing that justice should not depend on U.S. citizenship.
Additionally, AMP pointed out that another Palestinian was killed during the same incident that resulted in Musallet’s death. They stressed, “Whether a Palestinian holds American citizenship or not, every single murder committed by this regime must be explicitly prohibited, punished, and condemned.”
The United States provides significant military aid to Israel and regularly supports Israeli interests at international forums, often utilizing its veto power to block resolutions that criticize Israeli actions. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called for individuals to contact their legislators to demand condemnation of Musallet’s killing, highlighting that this isn’t an isolated event but part of a broader pattern of violence against U.S. citizens by Israeli forces.
Sarah Leah Whitson, the head of the rights organization DAWN, stated that the U.S. government has the ability to pursue accountability in the Musallet case. She referenced ongoing U.S. actions to seek justice in cases related to the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens. Whitson elaborated, “What is really missing is the political will from the United States government to protect American citizens of Palestinian origin or Americans protesting Israeli actions in the West Bank.”
She further noted that by not pursuing accountability, the U.S. is effectively setting a dangerous precedent, indicating that there is a lack of consequences for violence against not just Palestinians but also Americans in the region. The ongoing situation raises pressing concerns about the safety and rights of U.S. citizens abroad, particularly those of Palestinian descent.
image source from：aljazeera
