US ambassador to Israel calls to 'aggressively' investigate killing of Palestinian-American in West Bank

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Tuesday called on Israeli authorities to "aggressively" investigate the killing of a 20-year-old Palestinian-American named Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death by a group of settlers in the West Bank village of Sinjil last Friday. "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 yrs old," Huckabee wrote on X.

According to Musallet's family, the young man had traveled from the city of Tampa, Fla., to visit relatives in the West Bank. "This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face. We demand the U.S. State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes," the family said in a statement.

Details about the incident

Different media reports explained that in addition to Musallet, who was beaten to death during a settler attack in the area, another 23-year-old man named Mohammed al-Shalabi also died after being shot in the chest in the same incident. During an interview with CNN, Musallet's father commented that an ambulance on its way to assist his son was blocked, with the young man passing away before reaching the hospital.

Israeli authorities detailed that, so far, no Israeli suspects have been arrested in connection with Musallet's murder. Some Israeli media reported that two Israeli minors who had been arrested late Friday night for alleged involvement in the public disturbances in which the incident allegedly took place were eventually placed under house arrest, while a reserve soldier who had been questioned by military intelligence for his alleged involvement in the riots was also released.

Similarly, Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited local police sources as saying that the lack of an autopsy and the fact that the bodies were not transferred to authorities in Israel could complicate the investigation.