'Terrorist act': US Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemns killing of Palestinian-American by Israelis; urges accountability
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has condemned the 'criminal and terrorist act" of killing a Palestinian-American in the West Bank and called for a thorough investigation and full accountability after Israeli settlers beat the young man to death.
Sayfollah "Saif" Musallet, a 20-year-old American citizen from Florida, was killed on Friday in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. A second man was also killed by gunfire during the same incident, ABC News reported.
Musallet's family said he was trying to defend their land from Israeli settlers who surrounded him for over three hours and blocked an ambulance from reaching him.
He died before he could be taken to a hospital.
"I have asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death," Huckabee said in a post on X.
— GovMikeHuckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee)
"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old," he added.
Musallet had arrived in the West Bank on June 4 and was spending the summer in an area known for hosting members of the Palestinian diaspora from North America.
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He was born and raised in Florida, lived in Tampa, and owned a small business there.
His family described him as 'a kind, hard-working, and deeply respected young man' known for his generosity, ambition, and strong connection to his Palestinian heritage.
'This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face,' his family said in a statement demanding justice for his death.
He is the fifth American killed in the West Bank since the start of the Israel–Hamas war on October 7, 2023, according to AFP.
Violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank has sharply increased in parallel with Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza.
The US government initially responded quietly to the killing, but public pressure has grown. Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, also called for action.
"The Trump administration cannot continue to turn a blind eye to what is happening in the West Bank if it is truly committed to finding a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian people," said Jeffries in a statement as quoted by AFP.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, has previously rejected the notion that Israel occupies the West Bank, referring to the area by its biblical name, 'Judea and Samaria."
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