By Staff, Agencies

US Senator Chris Van Hollen has renewed his call for accountability over the deaths of nine American citizens killed by “Israeli” settlers or security forces in the occupied West Bank since 2022, criticizing the absence of consequences in the cases.

“I want to take a few minutes to tell my colleagues about these nine American citizens who’ve been killed by ‘Israeli’ settlers or ‘Israeli’ security forces in just over the last four years,” Van Hollen said in a speech on the Senate floor, shared in a video on his X account.

The senator identified the victims as Omar Assad, 78; Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, 51; Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, 17; Mohammad Khdour, 17; Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26; Amer Rabee, 14; Saif Musallet, 20; Khamis Ayyad, 40; and Nasrallah Abu Siyam, 19.

Recalling Assad’s death in January 2022, Van Hollen said “Israeli” soldiers stopped the elderly Palestinian-American at a checkpoint, dragged him from his car, bound his hands behind his back, gagged and blindfolded him, and left him lying on the ground outside. Assad later died of a stress-induced heart attack, the senator said.

Van Hollen also highlighted the killing of Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American journalist working for Al Jazeera who was shot in the head by “Israeli” security forces near the Jenin refugee camp in May 2022.

“When she was killed, she was wearing a bright blue vest, clearly identifying her as a journalist,” he said.

The senator also addressed the death of Eygi, a Turkish-American activist raised in Seattle, who was shot in the head by an “Israeli” soldier in September 2024 from a distance of approximately 200 meters, according to his account.

He further cited the killing of Rabee, saying the 14-year-old was shot 11 times using two different weapons.

Van Hollen also referred to comments by US Ambassador to “Israel” Mike Huckabee, who described Musallet’s killing as “a criminal and terrorist act.”

“He even said there must be accountability. So why has there been no accountability?” the senator asked.

Following his account of the cases, Van Hollen repeatedly stressed that no one had been held responsible for the killings.

“Nine American citizens dead. No accountability,” he declared.

The senator’s renewed appeal comes after the Senate last month voted 47-51 to block a resolution he had introduced. The measure would have required the secretary of state to submit a report within 30 days examining “Israel’s” human rights practices, including the killings of American citizens by “Israeli” forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank since January 2022 and the status of investigations into those deaths.