In a cluster of Palestinian scenic hilltop villages north-east of Ramallah, residents, who include many American citizens, have been under siege from Israeli settlers. This month, settlers killed 20-year-old US citizen Saifullah Musallet in broad daylight — with no arrests, no justice, and no sign that even a U.S. passport offers protection from Israeli impunity.
They have specifically targeted the villages of Sinjil and Al Mazra’a Al Sharqiya, whose peaceful and fertile hills have recently witnessed an increasing and dangerous amount of Israeli settler violence.
Here, in one of the many dunums of cultivated olive groves, Saifullah Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian American, was beaten to death by settlers on July 11th. He had arrived in Palestine from Florida, where he was born and raised, less than a month before visiting his family.
Another Palestinian youth, Mohammed Shalabi from Al Mazra’a Al Sharqiya, was killed by a settler's gunshot and left to bleed to death, as settlers inhibited paramedics’ rescue operations for nearly 6 hours.
A week later, at the bottom of the hill where Saifullah was brutally beaten, the community from both villages gathered as the Israeli army still occupied the land which the settlers had taken during their attacks. Many of the Palestinians here hold dual US citizenship, including Saifullah’s father and brother, who travelled to the West Bank immediately after he was murdered.
"Can you see that hill?” asked Abed Al Samad, mayor of Al Mazra’a Al Sharqiya, as he drove us through his village and to a panoramic point from where we could see, on the other side of the valley, the site where the attacks took place.
"All those are over 5,600 dunums of Palestinian land,” he said, “we have grapes, we have olive trees on it. Now, there are settlers, and we aren't allowed in.”
The land he is referring to is entirely considered Area A and B, meaning it falls under the Palestinian Authority, as opposed to Area C, where the Israeli army governs, making it completely illegal for them to be present there, let alone protect settlers.
'They attack civilians, trees, and even the stones of our town'
Al Mazra’a Al Sharqiya and Sinjil are ancient Palestinian towns with roots dating back to the origins of the fellahin (peasant farmers). Today, however, after many from the community migrated to America and made a fortune overseas, the villages are characterised by an incessant succession of beautiful mansions and gardens.
"Have you ever seen homes so beautiful?” asked Mayor Al Samad as he drove us to the site where, after Friday prayers, the residents would gather to mourn and protest the deaths in their community.
In the car, the mayor kept receiving call after call from his constituents, clearly apprehensive and alarmed about whether it would be a good idea to gather, given that the army and settler outpost were still occupying the land.
"Don't worry, there are international journalists,” Mayor Al Samad encouragingly said to one person, "they won't attack us if they're watching.”
He sighed, knowing the unfairness of that reality, and admitted that everyone in the community had been terrified, paralysed by the possibility of attacks.
Dozens of men were huddled on the hilltop of Sinjil, where the murders took place, waiting for the moment their Mayor, Doctor Motaz Tafsha, would return safely after talking to the Occupation army. Military vehicles and 10 settler cars were making sure that Palestinians wouldn't access their land.
Sinjil, however, has been facing dire hardship for much longer than last week.
“Since the war began,” said Mayor Tafsha, "the Occupation started building around our village an isolating, separating wall.”
He was referring to the five-metre-high barbed wire fence that almost surrounds the village, which the Israeli authorities said they put in place to protect the five settlements surrounding it.
In addition to that, they closed all the entrances to Sinjil except one, making the village of 8000 people feel like a "big prison”, said the residents.
"They attack civilians, trees, and even the stones of our town,” said Tafsha, “and burned nearly 50 homes on that hill."
Among the people at the bottom of the hill was Suleiman Asfour, the paramedic who came to aid Saifullah instants before he drew his last breath.
“When we got there, he was still breathing,” he said, as he showed us videos taken of the paramedic van being halted and obstructed by settler cars.
“When we were carrying his body, he knew he was about to die and said the shahada."
The youth passed away as they were carrying him into the vehicle.
Suleiman had been working as a mechanic for most of his life, but about 4 months ago, witnessing the escalating violence surrounding his community, he decided to train to become a paramedic.
Just the day before our visit, the paramedic's family had suffered from the sixth attack in just a few weeks. His brother-in-law, Adi Asfour, told us that on the evening of Thursday, June 17th, his family was gathered in the orchard next to his home, and the children were playing football on the roof. Suddenly, they started hearing the sound of rocks falling and saw a settler running towards the children, pointing a pistol at them.
Their home is one of the highest up on the hill, and closest to the settler outpost, making them among the most vulnerable in the community. Adi showed healing scars on his arm from an attack that occurred a few weeks ago. From the Asfour home, one could see Israeli soldiers standing close to the outpost. Despite the constant exposure to attacks and a childhood filled with trauma, Aysha Asfour, 7 years old, said she isn't afraid.
Seeking accountability
After the killing of the two Palestinians, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who has been a staunch supporter of Israeli settler expansionism in the West Bank for years, issued a rare statement condemning the attacks on X: “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. There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 years old.”
The family of the deceased have yet to be visited by any US official.
Saifullah's family also wants the US to launch an independent investigation into what happened to seek accountability, as stated in a social media post. However, Washington has previously failed to uphold such a standard when its citizens have been killed by Israel, as seen in the case of Shireen Abu Akleh and seven other American civilians killed since 2024.
In the West Bank, the protection of Palestinians against settler violence is growing weaker and weaker, as the head of Israeli police stated that "Protecting Israeli Settlements [is] More Vital Than Law and Order,” as reported in Haaretz.
Additionally, Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of National Security, established a "First Response Unit” in the West Bank, formed by armed illegal settlers.
As the men prayed in congregation at the bottom of that hill, Mayor Tafsha, standing in front of them, told us, “Sinjil and Mazra’a are standing against the blockade. We continue our presence, existence, and mobilisation to prevent the alienation from our land.”
Carolina Pedrazzi is an investigative conflict reporter specialising in the MENA region with extensive fieldwork experience. She holds a Master's degree from Columbia Journalism School and is a graduate from Sciences Po Paris and the American University of Beirut
Follow her on Instagram: @carolinapedrazzi