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Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Anger turns towards Washington in West Bank town mourning two men killed by settlers
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox People attend the funerals of Sayfollah Kamel Musallet, a Palestinian-American man who was beaten to death by settlers, and Mohammad Al-Shalabi, a man who was shot dead by Israeli forces, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, near Ramallah, in the Israel-occupied West Bank July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad AL-MAZRA'A ASH-SHARQIYA, West Bank - Frustration among Palestinians grew towards the United States on Sunday as mourners packed the roads to a cemetery in the Israeli-occupied West Bank town of Al-Mazr'a Ash-Sharqiya for the burial of two men, one of them a Palestinian American, killed by settlers. Palestinian health authorities and witnesses said Sayfollah Musallet, 21, was beaten to death, and Hussein Al-Shalabi, 23, was shot in the chest by settlers during a confrontation on Friday night. Most of the small town's roughly 3,000 residents share family ties to the United States and many hold citizenship, including Musallet, who was killed weeks after flying to visit his mother in Al-Mazr'a Ash-Sharqiya, where he travelled most summers from Tampa, Florida. "There's no accountability," said his father Kamel Musallet, who flew from the United States to bury his son. "We demand the United States government do something about it ... I don't want his death to go in vain." Israeli killings of U.S. citizens in the West Bank in recent years include those of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian American teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Friday it was aware of the latest death, but that the department had no further comment "out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones" of the victim. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Sunday referred questions on an investigation to the Israeli government and said it "has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas." The Israeli military had earlier said Israel was probing the incident. It said confrontations between Palestinians and settlers broke out after Palestinians threw rocks at Israelis, lightly injuring them. 'BETRAYAL' Musallet's family said medics tried to reach him for three hours before his brother managed to carry him to an ambulance, but he died before reaching the hospital. Local resident Domi, 18, who has lived in Al-Mazr'a Ash-Sharqiya for the last four years after moving back from the United States, said fears had spread in the community since Friday and his parents had discussed sending him to the United States. "If people have sons like this they are going to want to send them back to America because it's just not safe for them," he said. He had mixed feelings about returning, saying he wanted to stay near his family's land, which they had farmed for generations, and that Washington should do more to protect Palestinians in the West Bank. "It's a kind of betrayal," he said. Settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023, according to rights groups. Dozens of Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian street attacks in recent years and the Israeli military has intensified raids across the West Bank. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. U.S. President Donald Trump in January rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Malik, 18, who used to visit Musallet's ice-cream shop in Tampa and had returned to the West Bank for a few months' vacation, said his friend's death had made him question his sense of belonging. "I was born and raised in America, I only come here two months of a 12-month year, if I die like that nobody's going to be charged for my murder," he said, standing in the cemetery shortly before his friend was buried. "No one's going to be held accountable." REUTERS
Days of Palestine
3 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Armed Settlers Kill Two Residents of Sinjil, One Is American
DayofPal– Armed Israeli settlers attacked the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, and killed two residents, one of them was born and raised in US Florida City. Young man Mohammad Al-Shalabi was killed on Friday evening near the town of Sinjil, and his body was discovered hours after he went missing during a brutal attack by settler militias on Khirbet Al-Tal in the Jabal Al-Batin area, south of the town. According to local sources, his body showed clear signs of direct and violent assault. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 23-year-old Mohammad Rizq Hussein Al-Shalabi succumbed to injuries sustained due to settler violence in Sinjil. He was shot in the chest with live ammunition on Friday and left to bleed for hours. He is the second martyr in the same area in less than 24 hours, following the killing of 23-year-old Saif Al-Din Kamel Abdul Karim Muslat earlier the same day. Muslat was severely beaten by settlers in Sinjil and succumbed to his injuries. The town and its surroundings witnessed fierce clashes as locals and activists attempted to dismantle a new illegal settler outpost established in Khirbet Al-Tal. These confrontations resulted in injuries to 10 Palestinians, including fractures. One activist was run over, and two ambulances were attacked. The Hamas movement condemned these attacks, carried out by settler militias with the support of the far-right Israeli government and under the direct protection of the Israeli army. Hamas stated that these crimes expose the fascist nature of the Zionist project in the West Bank and stressed that the blood of the martyrs will not be in vain but will haunt the occupiers and settlers. The movement called on the Palestinian people to escalate resistance and confront aggression throughout the West Bank. In a related development, Israeli occupation forces launched a wide-scale raid and arrest campaign across the West Bank last night and early Saturday, resulting in the arrest of 11 Palestinians. In Jenin city, Israeli forces stormed the eastern neighborhood and arrested three residents. Drones hovered overhead while heavy gunfire was reported. Soldiers raided homes belonging to the Al-Saadi, Abu Ghali, and Al-Qiqis families, vandalized their contents, and detained several individuals, including children, inside the Al-Saadi family gathering hall. Ground troops were also deployed in the area. The forces later withdrew from Jabal Abu Dhahir and Khillet Al-Souha toward Jenin refugee camp after raiding a house and reportedly stealing money and gold, according to local testimonies. In Tulkarm, where Nour Shams refugee camp has been under continuous assault for 154 days, Israeli occupation forces raided Faroun Street and arrested several young men. In Bethlehem governorate, four Palestinians were arrested in the Wadi Sa'ir area near the village of Al-Minya, southeast of the city, following home raids and searches. The town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, was also stormed, with soldiers stationed in the Sabri and Dar Salah neighborhoods, firing toxic gas and sound bombs, no injuries were reported. The village of Tayasir, east of Tubas, was also raided, with Israeli forces firing toxic gas and sound bombs at civilians amid ongoing escalation across various areas of the West Bank. Shortlink for this post:
