Sayfollah Musallet
© FacebookSayfollah Musallet
The Trump administration is calling on Israel to investigate the killing of Sayfollah Musallet, but Israel rarely holds soldiers or settlers accountable for violence against Palestinians.

The Trump administration is calling on Israel to probe the killing of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old, Florida-born Palestinian American citizen who was beaten to death by settlers in the illegally occupied West Bank while visiting family.

Musallet is the 7th American citizen to be killed by Israeli settlers or forces since October 7, 2023.

"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act," tweeted the U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. These sentiments were echoed by lawmakers like Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who also called for an Israeli probe:
"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."
According to relatives, Musallet was killed while trying to protect his family's farm from Israeli settlers. The settlers reportedly blocked an ambulance from reaching him for three hours. 23-year-old Razek Hussein al-Shalabi was also killed by the settlers. According to the Palestinian health ministry, al-Shalabi was shot and left to bleed to death.

The killings are just the latest part of an ongoing wave of settler violence that has intensified since October 7. Just weeks ago, four Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the village of Kufr Malek in the Ramallah area.

A Kufr Malek resident told Mondoweiss:
"In the evening, settlers began to arrive at the entrance of Kufr Malek in more than 15 vehicles, and others arrived on foot. There were more than 100 settlers, and they began to break into front yards and set fire to houses and cars while throwing rocks at windows, so residents began to come out to confront them, but the Israeli army was close behind."
In a statement, the Israeli military claimed it was probing the killings, but mentioned that the violence began when the Palestinians began throwing rocks.

Many have pointed out that an Israeli investigation into Musallet's death is unlikely to yield results, as Israel routinely refrains from holding settlers and soldiers accountable.

Referring to Musallet by his nickname, the IMEU Policy Project in a statement:
"Israel's government cannot be trusted to investigate the extremist settlers it enables at every turn. Saif was a US citizen. Our government must conduct its own independent, thorough, and transparent investigation as it would if an American were killed in any other country."
Some lawmakers have advocated for such a step:
"The State Department must lead an immediate investigation and root out settler violence once and for all," tweeted Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). "There must be accountability."

"As our country's self-proclaimed peacemaker, Donald Trump has a moral and constitutional obligation to direct the State Department to conduct a thorough investigation and, more importantly, to demand full justice and accountability for those responsible for this heinous act," said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) in a statement. "Our country must ensure the protection and safety of Americans abroad."
Last September, 26-year-old Aysenur Eygi was shot and killed by Israeli forces during a protest in the northern occupied West Bank. At the time, the Biden administration said it had reached out to the Israeli government and asked for an investigation. After a quick inquiry, Israel declared that Eygi was likely shot by an Israeli soldier, but that it was unintentional. However, video and witness testimony contradict Israel's assessment.

In a December 2024 Op-Ed, Eygi's widowed husband, Hamid Ali, compared the case to other Americans killed by Israel. Ali wrote:
"If the U.S. had held Israel accountable for the killing of other Americans like Rachel Corrie or Shireen Abu Akleh, perhaps Israeli soldiers would not feel so emboldened to kill Americans, and other civilians, today."
At a Florida press conference on Monday afternoon, members of Musallet's family called on the Trump administration to prosecute his killers. His uncle Hasem Musallet said:
"Somebody needs to be held accountable. He wanted to be a businessman ever since he was young. He was planning on expanding, finding a wife, having a family. That was his dream but it was cut short at 20 years old, cut short unjustly."
Hiba Rahim, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Florida chapter told reporters:
"If Sayfollah was killed by anyone else or in another country, there would already be investigations, there would already be attempts for arrest, and calls for arrest and outrage in Washington. Where is the outrage from our government? Where is the accountability?"