Family of American Beaten to Death in West Bank Demands Investigation
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The U.S. State Department confirmed in a statement to Reuters that it's aware of the death of an American citizen, Sayafollah Musallet, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, after he was reportedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
"This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face. We demand the U.S. State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes," Musallet's family said in a statement.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department by submission form outside of normal business hours on Saturday morning for comment.
Why It Matters
Violence in the West Bank has surged following the Palestinian militant group Hamas' deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The roughly 2,200-square mile territory includes the disputed holy city of Jerusalem and has long been a flashpoint for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
An intensification of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) incursions, Palestinian militant activity and violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers seeking to expand territorial holdings considered illegal under international—and sometimes Israeli law —threatens to push the tense situation beyond the brink.
President Donald Trump rescinded sanctions on Israeli settler groups that had been imposed under former President Joe Biden but calls for renewed accountability have come from various lawmakers and advocacy organizations in response to continued American deaths in the region.
Musallet's death marks at least the seventh American fatality in the occupied territories since October 2023. Other cases include the shooting deaths of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea, and activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.
Palestinian women carry their belongings as Israeli soldiers enforce an evacuation order on a house in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli occupied West Bank on July 8.
Palestinian women carry their belongings as Israeli soldiers enforce an evacuation order on a house in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli occupied West Bank on July 8.
Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian-American from Florida, was beaten by settlers and left without medical assistance for several hours on Friday, as attackers reportedly blocked ambulances from reaching him.
His brother managed to carry him to an ambulance, but Musallet died before arriving at a hospital, according to Reuters.
The Israeli military said it is investigating the incident and confirmed that confrontations broke out after Palestinians reportedly threw rocks, with settlers said to be lightly injured. In the same incident, 23-year-old Hussein Al-Shalabi, was shot and killed, and he also did not receive timely medical help.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Friday told Reuters that "out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones," the department would not comment further but confirmed it was aware of the incident. The Israeli military described the event as a "violent confrontation," stating that non-lethal weapons were used to disperse crowds.
Musallet's family described him as "a brother and a son, just starting the prime of his life" and a "kind, hard-working, and deeply respected young man" in a statement to The Guardian. They said he had traveled to Palestine from Florida in June and was helping to defend his family's land.
What Happens Next?
The Israeli military said it's continuing to investigate the attack in Sinjil. The U.S. State Department stated it is prepared to provide consular services to Musallet's family but has not publicly committed to an independent investigation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Analysis-Out-gunned Europe accepts least-worst US trade deal
By Mark John LONDON (Reuters) -In the end, Europe found it lacked the leverage to pull Donald Trump's America into a trade pact on its terms and so has signed up to a deal it can just about stomach - albeit one that is clearly skewed in the U.S.'s favour. As such, Sunday's agreement on a blanket 15% tariff after a months-long stand-off is a reality check on the aspirations of the 27-country European Union to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the United States or China. The cold shower is all the more bracing given that the EU has long portrayed itself as an export superpower and champion of rules-based commerce for the benefit both of its own soft power and the global economy as a whole. For sure, the new tariff that will now be applied is a lot more digestible than the 30% "reciprocal" tariff which Trump threatened to invoke in a few days. While it should ensure Europe avoids recession, it will likely keep its economy in the doldrums: it sits somewhere between two tariff scenarios the European Central Bank last month forecast would mean 0.5-0.9% economic growth this year compared to just over 1% in a trade tension-free environment. But this is nonetheless a landing point that would have been scarcely imaginable only months ago in the pre-Trump 2.0 era, when the EU along with much of the world could count on U.S. tariffs averaging out at around 1.5%. Even when Britain agreed a baseline tariff of 10% with the United States back in May, EU officials were adamant they could do better and - convinced the bloc had the economic heft to square up to Trump - pushed for a "zero-for-zero" tariff pact. It took a few weeks of fruitless talks with their U.S. counterparts for the Europeans to accept that 10% was the best they could get and a few weeks more to take the same 15% baseline which the United States agreed with Japan last week. "The EU does not have more leverage than the U.S., and the Trump administration is not rushing things," said one senior official in a European capital who was being briefed on last week's negotiations as they closed in around the 15% level. That official and others pointed to the pressure from Europe's export-oriented businesses to clinch a deal and so ease the levels of uncertainty starting to hit businesses from Finland's Nokia to Swedish steelmaker SSAB. "We were dealt a bad hand. This deal is the best possible play under the circumstances," said one EU diplomat. "Recent months have clearly shown how damaging uncertainty in global trade is for European businesses." NOW WHAT? That imbalance - or what the trade negotiators have been calling "asymmetry" - is manifest in the final deal. Not only is it expected that the EU will now call off any retaliation and remain open to U.S. goods on existing terms, but it has also pledged $600 billion of investment in the United States. The time-frame for that remains undefined, as do other details of the accord for now. As talks unfolded, it became clear that the EU came to the conclusion it had more to lose from all-out confrontation. The retaliatory measures it threatened totalled some 93 billion euros - less than half its U.S. goods trade surplus of nearly 200 billion euros. True, a growing number of EU capitals were also ready to envisage wide-ranging anti-coercion measures that would have allowed the bloc to target the services trade in which the United States had a surplus of some $75 billion last year. But even then, there was no clear majority for targeting the U.S. digital services which European citizens enjoy and for which there are scant homegrown alternatives - from Netflix to Uber to Microsoft cloud services. It remains to be seen whether this will encourage European leaders to accelerate the economic reforms and diversification of trading allies to which they have long paid lip service but which have been held back by national divisions. Describing the deal as a painful compromise that was an "existential threat" for many of its members, Germany's BGA wholesale and export association said it was time for Europe to reduce its reliance on its biggest trading partner. "Let's look on the past months as a wake-up call," said BGA President Dirk Jandura. "Europe must now prepare itself strategically for the future - we need new trade deals with the biggest industrial powers of the world." (Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels; Christian Kraemer and Maria Martinez in Berlin; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Nick Zieminski) Sign in to access your portfolio
UPI
30 minutes ago
- UPI
Trump announces U.S. deal with European Union to impose 15% tariff
U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the media while playing golf at Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland on Sunday. He later met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Sunday announced 15% tariffs on most foreign goods from the European Union, down from the threatened 30%, as part of a trade agreement with the 27-nation bloc. Trump announced the deal at his Turnberry Isle Country Club in Scotland after his public session with European Commission President von der Leyen. Trump said the European Union won't impose new tariffs on U.S. imports. During the meeting with the media, both leaders said the chance of a deal was 50-50. "You are known as a tough negotiator and dealmaker," von der Leyen told Trump, with reporters on hand. Leyen said the agreement "will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic." Trump said the deal was "satisfactory to both sides." The European Union is the largest U.S. trading partner with $605 billion in goods yearly. The products are mainly drugs and pharmaceuticals, primarily from Ireland, as well as aircraft and heavy machinery, mainly from France and Germany. The 50% tariffs on steel, like most other nations, would remain and more duties could happen for pharmaceutical products, as well as semiconductors. Trump has also threatened a 200% tariffs on any drugs imported to the U.S. Trump said the deal would be "great for cars" and agriculture. Trump has previously noted that few American cars are sold in Europe. On April 2, he said he would impose a 20% duty against the EU, with most trading nations imposed a baseline 10%. He paused the retaliatory tariffs on April 9 for 90 days. In a letter to EU nations on July 12, the U.S. president threatened 30% retaliatory tariffs to take effect on Aug. 1. "Imposing 30% tariffs on E.U. exports would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic," von der Leyen said after Trump's letter. Letters to other nations have threatened tariffs as high as 50%, including to Brazil. The Trump administration has been negotiating with other nations, including reaching deals with China (30%), Japan (15%), Indonesia (19%) and Vietnam (20%). Britain, which is not part of the European Union, has a reduction in some tariffs of 10% on up to 100,000 vehicles and 25% on steel and aluminum. Last year, the average U.S. tariffs on imports from the EU was 1.2%, according to Capital Economics' chief Europe economist. The deal with the European Union is part of a broader trade agreement. EU had a $58.7 billion overall trade surplus with the U.S. in 2024. For goods, it was $168.6 billion but the deficit was $126 billion in services trade. "The European Union is going to agree to purchase from the United States $750 billion worth of energy," Trump said. The E.U. would also invest $600 billion into the United States. In 2024, the bloc bought nearly $400 billion in goods. Michael Brown, a senior research strategist at British-based Pepperstone brokerage, told The New York Times that U.S. defense companies likely will emerge as winners from the deal.
Wall Street Journal
31 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Macron Embraces a Palestinian Mirage
French President Emmanuel Macron is having a rough go at home with a 19% approval rating. That may explain at least in part his attempt at making headlines with a vanity project abroad. 'Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,' Mr. Macron said Thursday. 'In doing so,' he wrote to Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, 'France will make a decisive contribution to peace in the Middle East.' It's hard to see how. A Palestinian state doesn't exist, though it's recognized by some 147 nations, many of which did so with the Soviet Union in 1988. 'Here's the good news,' President Trump commented on Mr. Macron's move on Friday. 'What he says doesn't matter. It's not going to change anything.' France isn't involved in any of the serious diplomacy, so it can ignore the real obstacles—Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any borders, Hamas's power and popularity, and Israeli reluctance following the hard education of the second intifada, Gaza disengagement and the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.
