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Senate Democrats Urge U.S. Investigation of American’s West Bank Killing

They say U.S. accountability is needed after Israeli authorities’ preliminary findings questioned the role of settler violence in Musallet’s death.

Memorial banners for Palestinian-American Sayfollah Musallet and Mohammed al-Shalabi, both killed by Israeli settlers, are displayed at a school in the West Bank town of Al Mazra as-Sharqiya, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
On Monday, July 21, 2025, a man tidies the graves of Palestinian-American Sayfollah Musallet, left, and Mohammed al-Shalabi, both of whom were killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank town of Al Mazra as-Sharqiya. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
The U.S. Capitol building is pictured at sunset on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

Overview

  • On July 24, more than two dozen Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Trump’s administration demanding an independent U.S. probe of Saifollah Musallet’s July 11 death in the West Bank.
  • Lawmakers noted that Musallet’s killing is the seventh death of a U.S. citizen at the hands of Israeli forces or settlers in the territory since January 2022.
  • Sen. Chris Van Hollen led the effort, warning of a “culture of impunity” and citing the Trump administration’s revocation of Biden-era sanctions on extremist settlers.
  • Israel’s own inquiry is underway, but embassy spokespeople said preliminary findings do not indicate that blunt-force trauma caused Musallet’s death.
  • The State and Justice Departments have declined to comment on calls for a U.S.-led investigation following Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s demand that Israel “aggressively investigate” the case.