According to Reuters and other media reports, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement that a Palestinian-American man was beaten to death by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday (11th). Both the US State Department and the Israeli military responded to the incident.
The report quoted a statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health as saying that on Friday evening, 20-year-old American citizen Musalat was severely beaten in a town north of Ramallah, a city in the West Bank. According to reports, Musalat’s family is from Tampa, Florida, USA. They said in a statement that medical staff had been looking for him for three hours before his brother took him to the ambulance, but he died before arriving at the hospital. “This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should have to face. We ask the US State Department to immediately investigate and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif (referring to Musalat) accountable.” Musalat’s family said.
In response, a US State Department spokesman said on the 11th that he had learned of the incident, but out of “respect for the privacy of the victim’s family and relatives”, the State Department did not comment further. The Israeli military said that Israel is investigating the matter. The Israeli military also said that the conflict between Palestinians and settlers in the West Bank originated from Palestinians throwing stones at Israelis, causing minor injuries to Israelis.
Reuters mentioned that the former Biden administration of the United States had imposed sanctions on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of participating in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, and US President Trump revoked the sanctions in January this year. The report also mentioned that the International Court of Justice of the United Nations stated last year that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, and the settlements it has established there are illegal, and Israel should withdraw as soon as possible. Israel objected to this, saying that it has historical roots with the land.
The issue of Jewish settlements is one of the main obstacles to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Israel occupied East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank in the third Middle East war in 1967, and illegally built and expanded Jewish settlements in defiance of international opposition. A population data report released by the Israeli government in December last year showed that about 510,000 Israelis in the West Bank currently live in Jewish settlements built in violation of international law. On May 29 this year, according to multiple Israeli media reports, the Israeli government has approved the construction of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. The Times of Israel quoted a statement from the Israeli Ministry of Defense as saying that this move is aimed at consolidating Israel’s control over the West Bank and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
