U.S. Envoy Asks Israel to Probe Killing of Palestinian American in West Bank Settler Violence

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The U.S. government has urged Israel to investigate the killing of its citizen, Sayfollah Musallet. The 20-year-old was beaten to death by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank. The U.S. described the incident as a "terrorist act."

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on Tuesday that he urged Israel to "aggressively investigate" the killing of Musallet, a Florida-born citizen who was visiting his family when he was attacked in the city of Sinjil, Palestine.

"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act," Huckabee wrote in a social media post, as reported by Anadolu. "Saif was only 20 years old."

Huckabee's strong-toned post marks a rare critical stance taken by the U.S. ambassador towards Israel. Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel, had previously stated, "There's really no such thing as a Palestinian."

However, the statement by the U.S. ambassador did not go as far as to support Musallet's family's demands for Washington to launch its own investigation into the killing.

Critics say that Israel rarely holds settlers or its soldiers accountable for crimes against Palestinians.

Musallet is the ninth U.S. citizen to be killed by Israel since 2022. None of the previous cases led to criminal charges.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project stated that Israel cannot be trusted to "investigate the extremist settlers it enables at every turn" and once again called for an independent U.S. investigation.

Another Palestinian, identified by health officials as Mohammed Shalabi, was shot dead by settlers in the same attack that killed Musallet on Friday.

A Surge in Attacks Against Palestinians in the West Bank

Israeli settlers have intensified their attacks on Palestinian communities in the West Bank since the 2023 Gaza genocide.

As reported by Aljazeera, often protected by the Israeli military, the settlers routinely descend from their illegal settlements into Palestinian towns, where they loot homes, cars, and farms, and attack anyone who stands in their way.

Several Western countries, including Israel's major allies, have imposed sanctions on Israeli right-wing extremist officials and groups over settler violence.

U.S. President Trump lifted sanctions related to settler attacks that were imposed by his predecessor, Joe Biden, after returning to the White House earlier this year.

In recent days, several members of Congress have demanded accountability for the murder of Musallet. Hakeem Jeffries, a senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, called Musallet's killing "shocking and appalling."

“The Israeli government must thoroughly investigate this killing and hold any and all settlers responsible for the brutal death of Mr Musallet accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

Congressman Maxwell Frost, who represents a district in Florida, also condemned the "cold-blooded murder."

"Our nation must ensure the protection and safety of Americans abroad."

Israel Claims to Conduct Investigation

On Friday, Israel stated that it was "investigating" the events in Sinjil, claiming that violence began when Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle.

“Shortly thereafter, violent clashes developed in the area between Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included the destruction of Palestinian property, arson, physical confrontations, and stone-throwing,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

However, Musallet's family denied any "clashes", stating that a "mob" of settlers surrounded the Palestinian-American youth for three hours during the attack and prevented medics from reaching him.

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