Family of Palestinian American beaten to death by Israeli settlers demand justice

The family of a young Palestinian American man beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are speaking out about their need to see justice.

Sayfollah Musallet, who went by Saif, was on a two-month summer trip to his family's village in the occupied West Bank, when he and others were violently attacked by a group of Israeli settlers.

The brutal killing of the 20-year-old, who was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, has cast a spotlight on growing settler violence and what many see as a double standard in how Americans with Palestinian and Israeli backgrounds are treated by the US government.

"American citizens should be protected by the US government. [US President Donald] Trump always says 'America First' and he’s an American," Hesam Musallet, Saif's uncle, told The New Arab.  

"All we're looking for is justice. The people who committed this crime need to be held accountable," Musallet said.

"No one should be silent. There should be an uproar," Fatmah Muhammad, Saif's cousin, told TNA. "I just pray that the community comes together, and people will treat him like their own."

On 11 July, Saif was sitting around with friends and family in the village of Sinjil, when they were approached by a group of Israeli settlers, who attacked them with their bare hands. The incident saw widespread news coverage. However, there has yet to be a statement from Trump. On Tuesday, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on Israel to "aggressively investigate" Saif's killing.

"We haven't heard a statement from our president. It's so hurtful," said Muhammad.

According to the United Nations, around 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank by Israelis (both illegal settlers and the military) since 7 October 2023, when Israel's war on Gaza began. It is common for Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians as a way to seize land.

"Violence has escalated in the West Bank over the past few years primarily because the Jewish settler movement has been empowered by the most right-wing government in Israeli history, the most extreme members of which want to annex the West Bank and expel the Palestinians," David Lesch, a professor of history at Trinity University in Texas, told TNA.

He worries that if this level of violence continues and if a two-state solution is not created, "we will see a demographic time bomb, as Jewish settlements continue to grow amid a growing Palestinian population." 

"This scenario may result in a heightened level of Jewish-Palestinian violence that hopefully does not lead to a recreation of what happened on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli offensive, only this time in the West Bank," he said.

Multiple elected officials have condemned the attack. On Monday, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries called on Israel to investigate the incident, saying in a public statement that "the rise in violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank directed at Palestinian civilians is completely and totally unacceptable."

"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," Jeffries added.

Similarly, Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, said, "It's hard to understand this lack of accountability by the Netanyahu government as anything other than tacit approval by the state."

Despite the uptick in Israeli violence across the occupied West Bank over the past several years, For Saif and his family, this was not considered a dangerous trip. It was a routine visit he had taken many times to relax, eat and enjoy time with loved ones.

"This is something new. You hear about it a lot, but when it reaches home it's hard," said Saif's uncle.

Musallet describes his nephew as a typical young person who loved soccer, baseball and watching comedies, as well as running his ice cream store with his family in Tampa. At the same time, he was always respectful and would shake everyone’s hands when he entered a room. His cousin, Fatmah Muhammad, said he always made everyone feel like they were his favourite person.

"He's going to be missed. He was a light," Musallet said. "We've got to keep his memory alive. We just want justice. That's all."