Palestinian American killed in Israeli settler attack in West Bank
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Masked Israeli settlers hurl rocks at Palestinians in the village of Sinjil on July 4. Photo: John Wessels/AFP via Getty
Two Palestinians, one of them an American citizen, were killed on Friday when Israeli settlers attacked the village of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority's ministry of health said.
The big picture: It's the first time a Palestinian American was killed in the West Bank since President Trump assumed office in January. On his first day in office, Trump lifted sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on settlers involved in attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
- Such attacks have been on the rise in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began in 2023.
- A State Department official said: "We are aware of reports of the death of a U.S. citizen in the West Bank."
Driving the news: Florida-born Saif al-Din Kamel Abdul Karim Musallat, 23, was assaulted and beaten to death, according to the Palestinian Authority statement.
- A second Palestinian was shot during the settlers' attack. He was missing for hours and his body was eventually found dead.
- Palestinian sources said the attack happened after Palestinians from Sinjil tried reaching their private land near a settler outpost.
The other side: The Israel Defense Forces claimed in a statement that "terrorists" threw stones at Israeli civilians near Sinjil, resulting in two Israeli civilians being lightly injured.
- "Shortly afterward, a violent confrontation developed in the area between Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included the vandalism of Palestinian property, arson, physical clashes, and stone-throwing (against the Palestinian civilians)," the IDF said.
- The IDF said it was aware of "claims" that a Palestinian was killed and several others wounded, and said police were investigating.
State of play: The Trump administration has paid close to zero attention to the escalating situation in the West Bank.
- Secretary of State Rubio has taken steps to decrease the authority of the U.S. security coordinator in the West Bank and eliminated the direct reporting channel the Palestinian Affairs unit at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem had to the State Department in Washington.
- The White House and the State Department have refrained from expressing any criticism about Israeli policies in the West Bank.
What they're saying: "The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas," a State Department official said.
