Awdah Hathaleen, who was killed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank village of Umm al-Khair on Monday, had been denied entry into the US last month after arriving for a speaking tour.
In July, Hathaleen, a teacher and activist, had been invited to an interfaith speaking tour at the invitation of the Kehilla Community Synagogue to talk about the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Upon arrival at the San Francisco International Airport, he and his cousin, Eid, who had travelled on valid visas, were detained and then deported on a flight back to the Middle East.
News of their detention led to an emergency demonstration at the airport and a joint public statement by locally elected federal politicians, including Nancy Pelosi, Nancy, Lateefah Simon, and Eric Swalwell.
"Just last month, I joined my Bay Area colleagues in demanding answers from the administration after Awdah and his cousin, both holding valid visas, were unjustly detained and deported from SFO while travelling to my district for a multicultural faith dialogue," said Simon in a public statement issued on Monday.
"The settler who killed Awdah must be held accountable. We cannot and will not support violence. No one should live under the threat of demolition, displacement or death," the congresswoman continued.
Hathaleen was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary film, "No Other Land," which tells the story of Palestinians in the West Bank area of Masafer Yatta, which is being increasingly being taken over by violent Israeli settlers. One of the settlers involved in the attack has been identified as Yinon Levi, who is under US government sanctions.
The leaders of the synagogue that had helped sponsor Hathaleen's visa, Kehilla, located in northern California, have had an “allyship” with the people of Masafer Yatta since 2022, according to their website.
"It is critical that Jews build direct relationships with our Palestinian brothers and sisters suffering oppression from Israeli forces," said Phil Weintraub, a member of the Kehilla Community Synagogue, according to a statement on their website. "We do that by providing concrete support, manifesting our solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation."
In the wake of Hathaleen's killing, rights advocates continue to question why he was denied entry to the US, given what many see as his carrying an important message
"Awdah Hathaleen came to the US to warn us about settler violence and land theft in the West Bank and the genocide unfolding in Gaza. He came to speak about Israeli apartheid backed by US weapons and political cover," Robert McCaw, government affairs director with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement.
"Instead of listening, our government silenced him. His visa was revoked; he was detained and deported because his story exposed our complicity with genocide. Now he's been killed by an Israeli settler. We didn’t just turn him away. We sent him back to die," CAIR added.