• An American citizen was killed in the West Bank amid escalating tensions between settlers and Palestinian residents. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death while calls grow for an independent investigation. Saifullah Kamel Musallet, 20, from Tampa, Florida, is the fifth U.S. citizen killed in the region since October 2023.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (TDR) — A 20-year-old American man visiting family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was killed Friday in what relatives describe as a violent confrontation with Israeli settlers, marking the latest deadly escalation in an increasingly volatile region.

Saifullah Kamel Musallet, a dual U.S.-Palestinian citizen from Tampa, Florida, was reportedly beaten to death near the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, according to statements from his family and the Palestinian Health Ministry. The incident occurred while Musallet was defending his family’s land, his relatives told CBS News.

“He worked at his family’s ice cream shop in Tampa and was loved by so many people there,” said Fatmah Muhammad, Musallet’s cousin and a business owner in California. “He was always kind and compassionate.”

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

U.S. Citizen Death Confirmed by State Department

The U.S. State Department confirmed that a U.S. citizen had died in the West Bank and said the American Embassy in Jerusalem was offering consular assistance to the family. However, officials referred any questions about the investigation to Israeli authorities.

“We are aware of reports regarding a Palestinian civilian killed and a number of injured Palestinians as a result of the confrontation, and they are being looked into by the ISA and Israel Police,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Friday.

Musallet’s family has called for an American-led investigation into the killing. “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 public statement.

Settler Violence and Land Disputes

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

Musallet’s death is the latest in a series of violent confrontations between Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents in the West Bank, particularly in Areas A and B, which remain under varying levels of Palestinian Authority civil and security control, but are surrounded by Israeli military and settler outposts.

According to Mohammed Saber Zaben, the head of the local municipality of al Sharqiya, many of the landowners in the area are Palestinian-Americans. He told CBS News that some residents had been physically attacked, and private property destroyed in what he described as a campaign to establish an illegal outpost.

“Settlers have prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing their lands,” Zaben said. “There is a clear pattern of expansion and intimidation.”

Musallet was reportedly blocked from medical attention for more than three hours, with his family alleging that settlers surrounded the area and delayed emergency services. He was eventually carried by his younger brother to an ambulance but died en route to the hospital.

Another man was also killed in the same incident, reportedly left bleeding for hours before succumbing to his injuries.

Political and Policy Background

Musallet’s killing occurs against the backdrop of shifting U.S. policies on Israeli settlements. In January, President Trump rescinded U.S. sanctions on far-right Israeli settler groups that had been imposed during the Biden administration in response to violence against Palestinians.

The sanctions, initially applied in 2024, targeted individuals and organizations, including the Hilltop Youth — a group the U.S. Treasury Department described as “violent extremists” responsible for attacks on Palestinians and their property.

During his first term, President Trump also reversed the longstanding U.S. position that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were illegal under international law. That policy was reinstated under Biden before being rescinded again this year.

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10