Relatives of Sayfollah Musallet, a U.S. citizen from Florida who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, are urging the Trump administration to take decisive action. The family is calling for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the 20-year-old’s tragic death.
Musallet, originally from Tampa, was visiting family near Ramallah when he was killed last week. According to his family, he died while trying to protect their farm from invaders. The emotional plea came during a press conference in Florida on Monday afternoon.
Family’s Emotional Appeal
His uncle, Hasem Musallet, described Saif as a “loving, respectful” young man who had a passion for baseball and entrepreneurship. Saif had recently launched an ice-cream business in Tampa with his cousins. Hasem expressed frustration over what the family perceives as a lack of response from the U.S. government regarding the murder of one of its citizens.
“Somebody needs to be held accountable,” he said. “He wanted to be a businessman ever since he was young. He was planning on expanding, finding a wife, having a family. That was his dream but it was cut short at 20 years old, cut short unjustly.”
Musallet was reportedly beaten with clubs and bats, and died in the same attack that claimed the life of a 23-year-old Palestinian man, Razek Hussein al-Shalabi, who was shot and left to bleed to death, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Calls for Accountability
Hiba Rahim, deputy executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), emphasized the family’s demand for justice. They want Donald Trump, along with the Departments of Justice and State, to prosecute the perpetrators under U.S. law. Rahim criticized the State Department’s statement of having no comment on Musallet’s death, citing respect for the family’s privacy.
“We’re not asking, and his family is not asking, for silence. We’re asking for accountability,” Rahim stated. “If Sayfollah was killed by anyone else or in another country, there would already be investigations, there would already be attempts for arrest, and calls for arrest and outrage in Washington. Where is the outrage from our government? Where is the accountability?”
The State Department did not respond to requests for further comment. However, later on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee acknowledged Musallet’s death in a social media post, marking the first official recognition by the Trump administration.
Official Response and Historical Context
In his post, Huckabee urged Israel to conduct a thorough investigation into the murder, highlighting the need for accountability. He described the attack as a “criminal and terrorist act.”
“I have asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Mussallet [sic], an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death,” Huckabee wrote. “There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old.”
Hasem Musallet, overwhelmed with emotion, recalled his nephew as a “rare soul” who was always willing to help others. He shared memories of Saif enjoying time with family and friends in the West Bank, engaging in simple pleasures like barbecuing and enjoying the mountains.
Broader Implications
The Israeli military claimed the incident occurred after stones were thrown at Israelis, leading to a “violent confrontation.” However, Rahim dismissed these claims, stating they were part of a pattern of misinformation used to justify violence against Palestinians.
“There were no clashes. These are the same lies we hear every time a guilty party is guilty of monstrous activity like what we saw with Sayfollah’s death. This is not an isolated tragedy. There’s a devastating pattern of Americans being killed in Israel, brutalized and murdered with impunity by Israeli forces and settlers,” Rahim asserted.
Musallet’s death adds to a growing wave of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians and injured at least 9,000, according to reports.
The family’s call for justice underscores a broader demand for accountability and highlights the complex geopolitical tensions in the region. As the situation unfolds, the international community watches closely, awaiting potential responses from both the U.S. and Israeli governments.
