Palestinian-American Protester Beaten to Death by Army-Backed “Israeli” Settlers in West Bank

By Staff, Agencies

A Palestinian-American protester was killed on Friday after being brutally beaten by “Israeli” settlers near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, as “Israeli” forces stood by without intervening.

The attack took place during a protest against a new illegal outpost, constructed in an area where settlement building is explicitly prohibited under existing “Israeli”-Palestinian agreements.

The victim was identified as 23-year-old Saif al-Din Musalat, also known as Sayfollah Musallet, a US citizen from Tampa, Florida, according to American investigative outlet Drop Site News.

Witnesses say that a group of settlers blocked the demonstrators’ path before launching a violent assault under the protection—or at least passive complicity—of nearby “Israeli” troops.

The protest occurred in the so-called Area B of the West Bank, where administrative control is shared, but military presence remains heavily skewed in favor of “Israel.” Construction of settlement outposts in this area is prohibited, but settlers reportedly established one regardless and violently suppressed opposition.

Another protester, Muhammad Rizq Hussein Al-Shalabi, was shot in the chest and later died from his injuries, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. At least ten others were wounded during the attack. Eyewitnesses reported that settlers rammed a demonstrator with a vehicle and smashed ambulance windows amid the chaos.

Although “Israeli” forces arrived at the scene, no arrests were made—a pattern consistent with previous instances of settler violence across the West Bank, where impunity has become the norm.

Just one day before the killing, veteran Palestinian-American journalist Said Arikat questioned US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce about what protections, if any, are available to Palestinian-Americans facing settler attacks.

Bruce failed to offer a direct contact point or mechanism for assistance. Instead, she vaguely claimed that “thousands of people” at the State Department “care deeply” and suggested victims appeal to the “Israeli” government since “Israel is an ally.”

When asked if the US would issue a specific condemnation of such settler violence, Bruce responded only with a generic statement of concern over violence “by any party.”

A new investigation by Drop Site reveals that since mid-June, the “Israeli” entity has escalated its campaign of repression across the West Bank. The operation includes sweeping military raids, mass arrests, demolitions of Palestinian homes, and coordinated settler-led expulsions.

Among the recent incidents, “Israeli” settlers attacked the Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh—home to about 300 American citizens—without drawing any formal condemnation from Washington.

Analysts warn that the growing alignment between settler violence and military complicity, coupled with US silence, is enabling the regime’s campaign of ethnic cleansing across the West Bank.