American citizen killed by Israeli settlers

Following the deadly attack by Israeli settlers on a Palestinian-American man named Saifullah Muslet in the West Bank, the U.S. government has refrained from making any direct comments. In contrast, human rights organizations and Muslim Americans have demanded immediate accountability from Washington.

Al Jazeera reported that the family of Saifullah Muslet, a U.S. citizen residing in Florida, confirmed that he was killed on Friday during a violent settler attack in the town of Sinjil, located north of Ramallah. The Palestinian Ministry of Health also confirmed the report.

Muslet, who was in his twenties, had traveled to Palestine to visit relatives. According to his cousin Fatima Mohammed, this was meant to be his final family visit before his death. Human rights sources say he was brutally beaten by a group of settlers, leading to his death.

At the same time, another Palestinian named Mohammad Shalabi was also killed by the armed settler assailants during the same attack.

In response to the incident, the U.S. Department of State issued only a brief statement saying it was aware of reports regarding the death of an American citizen in the West Bank, but declined to provide further details due to “privacy concerns of the family.”

This comes amid a pattern of American citizens being killed in incidents involving Israel, none of which have led to legal prosecution of the perpetrators. One of the most notable cases was the 2022 killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was fatally shot by Israeli forces.

Organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement demanding accountability from the Trump administration.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s deputy director, stated: “If President Trump isn’t willing to stand up for the principle of ‘America First’ even after the murder of an American citizen, then this administration is clearly following an ‘Israel First’ policy.”