BIDDŪ – When Sayfollah Musallet of Tampa, Florida, was overwhelmed to loss of life by Israeli settlers within the West Financial institution two weeks in the past, he turned the fourth Palestinian-American killed within the occupied territory because the warfare in Gaza started.
Nobody has been arrested or charged in Musallet’s slaying – and if Israel’s observe document on the opposite three deaths is any information, it appears unlikely to occur. But Musallet’s father and a rising variety of U.S. politicians wish to flip the script.
“We demand justice,” Kamel Musallet mentioned at his 20-year-old son’s funeral earlier this week. “We demand the U.S. authorities do one thing about it.”
Nonetheless, Musallet and family members of the opposite Palestinian-People say they doubt anybody shall be held accountable, both by Israel or the U.S. They consider the primary phrase of their hyphenated id undercuts the facility of the second. They usually say Israel and its legislation enforcement have made them really feel like culprits — by imposing journey bans and, in some circumstances, detaining and interrogating them.
Though the Trump administration has stopped in need of promising investigations of its personal, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has urged Israel to analyze the circumstances of every American’s loss of life.
Writing on X on July 15, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee mentioned he’d requested Israel to “aggressively examine the homicide” of Musallet and that “there have to be accountability for this legal and terrorist act.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and 28 different Democratic senators have additionally known as for an investigation. In a letter this week to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lawyer Common Pam Bondi, they pointed to the “repeated lack of accountability” after the deaths of Musallet and different People killed within the West Financial institution.
Israel’s army, police and Shin Wager home safety company didn’t reply to requests for remark concerning the Palestinian-People’ deaths.
Households have demanded unbiased investigations
American-born teenagers Tawfic Abdel Jabbar and Mohammad Khdour have been killed in early 2024 by Israeli fireplace while driving in the West Bank. In April 2025, 14-year-old Amer Rabee, a New Jersey native, was shot within the head no less than 9 instances by Israeli forces, in response to his father, as he stood amongst a grove of inexperienced almond timber in his household’s village.
Within the rapid aftermath of each circumstances, Israeli authorities mentioned that forces had fired on rock throwers, allegations disputed by the households and by testimony obtained by the AP. Israel pledged to analyze the circumstances additional, however has launched no new findings.
The teenagers’ households informed the AP they sought unbiased investigations by American authorities, expressing doubts that Israel would examine in good religion. In keeping with the Israeli watchdog group Yesh Din, killings of Palestinians within the West Financial institution hardly ever lead to investigations — and when they do, indictments are unusual.
The U.S. Justice Division has jurisdiction to analyze the deaths of its personal residents overseas, however does so after it will get permission from the host authorities and normally works with the host nation’s legislation enforcement. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem declined to say whether or not the U.S. has launched unbiased probes into the killings.
A spokesperson for the embassy mentioned in a press release that investigations are “underway” in Israel over the deaths of the 4 People and that its workers is urgent the Israeli authorities to maneuver shortly and transparently.
In a press release to AP, the embassy spokesperson mentioned, “We proceed to press for full, clear, and fast investigations in every case and perceive that they’re underway” in Israel including that consular workers have been in common communication with Israeli authorities.
Sen. Van Hollen mentioned that when the usdeals with Israel it “both doesn’t pursue these circumstances with the vigor vital, or we don’t get any severe cooperation.”
“After which as an alternative of demanding cooperation and accountability, we kind of cease — and that’s unacceptable. It’s unacceptable to permit Americans to be killed with impunity,” the Maryland Democrat mentioned.
Israel says it holds troopers and settlers accountable
Israel says it holds troopers and settlers to account below the bounds of the legislation, and that the dearth of indictments doesn’t imply an absence of effort.
A distinguished latest case was the loss of life of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist for broadcaster Al Jazeera killed within the West Financial institution in 2022. An unbiased U.S. evaluation of the circumstances of her loss of life discovered that fireside from an Israeli soldier was “seemingly accountable” for her killing however mentioned it seemed to be an accident.
Regardless of an Israeli army investigation with comparable conclusions, nobody was ever disciplined.
Violence by Israeli forces and settlers has flared within the West Financial institution because the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, 2023. Greater than 950 Palestinians have been killed because the starting of the warfare in Gaza, in response to the United Nations. Some have been militants killed in combating with Israel, although the lifeless have additionally included stone-throwers and bystanders uninvolved in violence.
As an alternative of justice, restrictions and detentions
Somewhat than a path towards justice, the households of Khdour, Rabee, and Abdel Jabbar say they’ve confronted solely challenges because the deaths.
Khdour, born in Miami, Florida, was shot and killed in April 2024 whereas driving in Biddu, a West Financial institution city close to Jerusalem the place he lived since age 2. U.S. investigators visited his household after the killing, his household mentioned. Abdel Jabbar was killed whereas driving down a dust street near Al Mazra as-Sharqiya, his village within the northern West Financial institution.
Khdour’s cousin, Malek Mansour, the only real witness, informed the AP he was questioned by each Israeli and American investigators and repeated his testimony that photographs got here from a white pickup on Israeli territory.
He believes the investigators didn’t push onerous sufficient to determine who killed his cousin.
“The matter ended like lots of those that have been martyred (killed),” mentioned Hanan Khdour, Khdour’s mom.
Two months after the loss of life, Israeli forces raided the household’s residence and detained Mohammad’s brother, Omar Khdour, 23, additionally an American citizen.
Movies taken by household and shared with the AP present Omar Khdour blindfolded and handcuffed as Israeli troopers in riot gear lead him out of the constructing and right into a army jeep.
He mentioned he was threatened throughout questioning, held from 4 am to three pm, and warned to not pursue the case.
‘Right here, being American means nothing’
Omar Khdour mentioned Israeli troopers at checkpoints have prevented him from leaving the West Financial institution to go to Israel or Jerusalem. Two different American fathers of Palestinian-People killed since Oct. 7, 2023 reported comparable restrictions.
Hafeth Abdel Jabbar, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar’s father, mentioned he and his spouse have been blocked from leaving the West Financial institution for seven months. His son, Amir Abdel Jabbar, 22, stays restricted.
The daddy of Amer Rabee says he and his spouse have additionally been caught within the West Financial institution since their son’s killing. He confirmed AP emails from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem by which a consular official informed him that Israel had imposed a journey ban on him, although it was unclear why.
Israeli authorities didn’t reply to touch upon the detentions or journey restrictions.
Rabee mentioned that in a land the place violence in opposition to Palestinians goes unchecked, his household’s American passports amounted to nothing greater than a blue e-book.
“We’re all Americans,” Rabee mentioned. “However right here, for us, being American means nothing.”
Copyright 2025 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.
