US Wants Israel To Launch Probe Into Killing Of American Citizen In West Bank

The US has asked the Israeli authorities to set up an inquiry into the killing of Sayfollah Musallet, an American citizen.

Reportedly, the Israeli settlers beat Musallet to death in the West Bank, and the US has called the killing of the 20-year-old a “terrorist act.”

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said that the Netanyahu government must “aggressively investigate” the incident.

Saying that Saif was just 20 years old, Huckabee stated that “There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act.”

Israeli Settlers Have Been Accused Of Killing Musallat

However, the US diplomat didn’t support the Musallat family’s demand that America must initiate its own inquiry into the murder.

Experts said Musallet’s death marks the ninth such case in which an American citizen was killed in Palestine since 2022. But Israel has not imposed criminal charges on anyone in previous incidents.

However, the statement by Huckabee marks a change in his stance towards Palestine, as he had previously said, “There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.”

Another Palestinian man named Mohammed Shalabi was killed by Israeli settlers in the same attack that led to the death of Musallet.

Media reports have said that Israeli settlers have ramped up their attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in 2023.

Sanctions On West Bank Settlers Accused Of Violence In The Area  

Settlers are mostly safeguarded by the Israeli military and destroy Palestinian properties time and again, media reports noted.

Multiple Western nations have imposed sanctions on Israelis named in settler attacks. 

The US under Joe Biden had also slapped sanctions on groups involved in settler violence, but Donald Trump removed the sanctions when he took charge. 

Moreover, many members of the Congress have urged accountability over the killing of Musallet.

Calling his death “shocking and appalling,” Hakeem Jeffries, a top American official, said that “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.”

Another official, Maxwell Frost, said it was a “cold-blooded murder.”

In response, Israel said it is probing the incidents in Sinjil and added that Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli vehicles, which led to the violence.

“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 was quoted as saying by local media.

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