Saif al-Din Musallat, a Florida resident in his 20s who was born and raised in the United States, died Friday in the village of Sinjil. According to his family, Musallat had traveled to the West Bank last month to visit relatives and was “brutally beaten to death while defending his family’s land from settlers attempting to steal it.”
“This is an unimaginable nightmare, an injustice no family should have to endure,” the family said in a statement Saturday, urging the U.S. State Department to hold those responsible accountable.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed Musallat’s death and said the U.S. is providing consular support to his family. The department declined to comment on the circumstances of the incident, citing respect for the family’s privacy.
“Ensuring the safety of U.S. citizens abroad is a top priority,” the spokesperson said.
Israeli officials said they were reviewing the incident. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday night that Palestinians threw rocks at Israelis near Sinjil, lightly wounding two civilians. Clashes followed between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, involving stone-throwing, vandalism, arson and physical violence.
The IDF said it was aware of reports that one Palestinian had been killed and several others injured in what it described as “violent friction.” Israeli forces, including police and border units, arrived at the scene and used crowd control measures to disperse those involved, the military said.
According to Palestinian officials, Musallat died from head injuries sustained during the beating. AFP reported similar confrontations took place in Sinjil a week earlier.
In November, Defense Minister Israel Katz suspended the use of administrative detention orders against Jewish residents of the West Bank. At the time, senior legal officials warned the decision could embolden extremist settler groups and limit the Shin Bet’s ability to respond to Jewish nationalist violence. They cautioned it could lead to attacks on Palestinians and spark wider unrest.
Despite recent violent episodes, including riots near Ramallah in which a 14-year-old boy was injured and a military investigation was launched, Katz said this week he does not intend to reinstate administrative detention for Jewish suspects. He argued that law enforcement should be handled by police and said the torching of Palestinian villages by Israeli Jews “is not considered terrorism.” He added that administrative detention for Palestinians would continue.
