The family of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old American citizen from Florida, is demanding that the US government launch an investigation into his killing by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Musallet’s family described him as a “kind, hard-working, and deeply-respected young man, working to build his dreams”. According to the family, Israeli settlers surrounded Musallet for three hours during the assault and attacked medics attempting to reach him.
“This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face,” the family said in a statement. “We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice.”
The US State Department has stated that it has “no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas” but declined to comment further on the incident, citing the victim’s family’s privacy. However, advocates argue that the US should take a more proactive role in investigating the killing, given the history of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) condemned the killing, saying the US “must stop treating Palestinian American lives as expendable”. “Israeli settlers lynched 20-year-old Palestinian American Sayfollah Musallet, while US officials stayed silent,” the group said.
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) questioned whether President Trump would prioritize US interests in this case, given his previous stance on Israel. “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 said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) noted that this incident is part of a larger pattern of violence against US citizens by Israeli soldiers and settlers. “This was not an isolated incident. It was part of a long, unpunished pattern of violence against US citizens by Israeli soldiers and settlers,” CAIR said.
Sarah Leah Whitson, head of rights group DAWN, emphasized that the US has the tools to pursue accountability in this case. “What is really missing [in the current case] 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,” Whitson said.
The incident highlights the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges faced by Palestinian Americans. As the US provides significant military aid to Israel and often protects its ally diplomatically, critics argue that this support can perpetuate a lack of accountability for Israeli actions.