Palestinian American Saif Musallet's killing in Israeli-occupied West Bank draws U.S. call for investigation
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that he had "asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder" of Saif Musallet, a Palestinian American national who was visiting family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank when "he was beaten to death."
"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act," Huckabee said in a social media post. "Saif was just 20 yrs old."
The family of Musallet, whose full name was Saifullah Kamel Musallet, told CBS News on Saturday that he was beaten to death on Friday by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
In a statement, they said he was killed in a confrontation with settlers while trying to protect his family's land in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, and that the settlers had surrounded him for more than three hours, blocking an ambulance and paramedics from reaching him.
The family's statement said his younger brother carried him to an ambulance after the group cleared, but that Musallet died before he was able to reach the hospital.
He had been due to return to his home in Tampa, Florida, this week, his relatives said.
Musallet's killing comes amid an increase in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thameen Al-Kheetan, said Tuesday.
"Israeli settlers and security forces have intensified their killings, attacks and harassment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the past weeks," Al-Kheetan said.
He said that "during the first half of 2025, there have been 757 settler attacks that resulted in Palestinian casualties or property damage — a 13 per cent increase on the same period in 2024."
"Israel must immediately stop these killings, harassment and home demolitions across the occupied Palestinian territory," Al-Kheetan said. "As the occupying power, Israel must take all feasible measures to ensure public order and safety in the West Bank. It is under the obligation to protect Palestinians from settler attacks and to end the unlawful use of force by its security forces. There must be thorough, independent and transparent investigations into all killings and all other alleged violations of international law. Those responsible must be held to account."
The Israel Defense Forces told CBS News on Wednesday that immediately "following the incident, a joint investigation was launched by the Israel Police and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division."
On Thursday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson offered condolences to the family and said it was providing consular assistance. The spokesperson said Israeli authorities had announced the arrest of six people in connection with the incident, but neither the IDF nor Israeli police replied to CBS News' questions about the investigation, and there was no confirmation from Israeli authorities of any arrests. Israeli media reported soon after the incident that six people were detained but later released.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Israeli police said the police and the IDF were "currently carrying out a joint investigation regarding the death of a Palestinian-American citizen, alleged to have occurred following a confrontation near Sinjil."
The statement said at the time of the incident, "security forces restored order and made arrests on both sides."
"Although no official report was filed regarding a homicide at the time the claim surfaced, and no access to the body was granted to allow for proper forensic examination or collection of critical evidence, the police and IDF have nonetheless launched a proactive investigation to clarify the circumstances surrounding the circulating allegations. If criminal actions are found to have occurred, accountability will be pursued in accordance with the law," the police spokesperson said.
Musallet's family said they had not been informed of any arrests related to his killing.
Last week, the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on President Trump to hold Israel accountable for Musallet's death and "put America first."
"This murder is only the latest killing of an American citizen by illegal Israeli settlers or soldiers," CAIR-Florida Executive Director Imam Abdullah Jaber said in a statement. "Every other murder of an American citizen has gone unpunished by the American government, which is why the Israeli government keeps wantonly killing American Palestinians and, of course, other Palestinians. If President Trump will not even put America first when Israel murders American citizens, then this is truly an Israel First administration."
Other U.S. citizens who have been killed in the Israel-occupied West Bank include Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who died in 2022, and activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was killed last year. Both were allegedly killed by Israeli forces, and the Israeli military has said it is investigating, but nobody has been held accountable for either of their deaths to date.
