US ambassador asks Israel to investigate ‘aggressively’ US citizen’s death in West Bank
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US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (left) has called on Israel to “aggressively” investigate the death of US citizen Sayafollah Musallet, who was beaten and died in the West Bank.
PHOTOS: REUTERS, X
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- US Ambassador Mike Huckabee urged Israel to investigate the death of US citizen Sayafollah Musallet, who was beaten to death in the West Bank.
- Musallet, 20, died after a beating in Sinjil; his family and US Representative Kathy Castor have condemned the violence.
- Some US representatives seek a State Department investigation amid rising settler violence in the West Bank since the Gaza war began.
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TEL AVIV - US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on July 15 he has asked Israel to “aggressively” investigate the death of an American citizen who was beaten to death in the West Bank.
“There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old,” Mr Huckabee said in a post on X.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment.
Israel’s military previously said Israel was investigating the incident.
US citizen Sayafollah Musallet, 20, also known as Saif, was severely beaten in the incident on evening of July 11 in Sinjil, north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
His family, from Tampa, Florida, said in a statement that medics tried to reach him for three hours before his brother managed to carry him to an ambulance, but that he died before reaching the hospital.
“We must honour his memory by speaking out against violence and working towards a future of peace and dignity,” US Representative Kathy Castor, who represents Tampa, said in a post on X.
“The Administration must work with our international partners to ensure the protection of Americans abroad.”
Some members of the US House of Representatives have condemned the killing of Mr Musallet, and others have called on the US State Department to investigate the incident.
The department did not immediately respond to those calls.
Settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023, according to rights groups. REUTERS
