Washington, DC – The household of Sayfollah Musallet, america citizen who was crushed to demise by Israeli settlers within the occupied West Financial institution final week, is looking for justice.
Musallet’s kinfolk need Washington to launch its own investigation into the incident to make sure accountability.
The Florida-born 20-year-old is the ninth US citizen to be killed by Israeli settlers or troopers since 2022. Not one of the earlier instances have led to prison costs or US sanctions in opposition to the perpetrators.
That lack of response is what advocates name a “sample of impunity”, whereby Washington calls for a probe with out inserting any vital strain on Israel to provide outcomes.
In Musallet’s case, the administration of President Donald Trump urged Israel to “aggressively” examine the killing.
“There have to be accountability for this prison and terrorist act,” Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, mentioned in an announcement on Tuesday.
It isn’t clear if the US has taken any additional actions to hunt justice within the aftermath of the deadly beating.
Critics say the “sample of impunity” stems partially from the traditionally shut bonds between the US and Israel. Successive presidential administrations within the US have affirmed their “unwavering” help for Israel, and the US gives Israel with billions of {dollars} in army support yearly.
Right here, Al Jazeera appears at who the eight different victims had been, how the US has responded to their killing and the place their instances stand.
Omar Assad
Assad, a 78-year-old Palestinian American, was driving residence within the occupied West Financial institution after visiting pals on January 12, 2022, when Israeli troopers stopped him at a checkpoint.
In accordance with the post-mortem report and his family’s account, the troops dragged Assad out of his automotive after which handcuffed, gagged and blindfolded him, leaving him to die at a chilly building website.
The administration of then-President Joe Biden known as on Israel to launch a prison investigation into the incident.
However Assad’s kinfolk and lawmakers from his residence state of Milwaukee wished Washington to conduct its own probe – a requirement that by no means materialised.
As is commonly the case, Israel’s investigation into its personal troopers’ conduct didn’t result in any prison costs.
In 2023, the Israeli army said that it discovered no “causal hyperlink” between the best way its troopers handled Assad and his demise.
The Biden administration additionally declined to use sanctions below US legislation to the Israeli unit that killed Assad: the Netzah Yehuda, a battalion infamous for its abuses in opposition to Palestinians within the West Financial institution.
Final 12 months, the US Division of State introduced that the battalion will nonetheless be eligible for US support below the Leahy Law, which prohibits army help for safety models concerned in human rights violations.
Shireen Abu Akleh
Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera reporter, was fatally shot by Israeli forces throughout a raid in Jenin within the occupied West Financial institution on Could 11, 2022.
Owing to her standing as some of the celebrated journalists within the Center East, her killing sparked worldwide outrage from rights teams and press freedom advocates.
Regardless of the worldwide consideration, Israeli forces attacked her funeral in Jerusalem, beating the pallbearers carrying her coffin with batons.
Israel initially denied killing Abu Akleh, 51, falsely claiming that the reporter was shot by armed Palestinians.
Months later, after multiple visual investigations confirmed that Israeli troopers focused Abu Akleh, Israel acknowledged that its forces probably killed the reporter, dismissing the incident as an accident.
The Biden administration confronted waves of pleas by legislators and rights teams to launch its own investigation into the killing, nevertheless it resisted the calls, arguing that Israel is able to investigating itself.
In November 2022, Israeli media experiences claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was investigating the capturing of Abu Akleh, however the US Division of Justice by no means confirmed the probe.
Greater than three years after Abu Akleh’s killing, her household and supporters say justice in her case has not been served.
Tawfiq Ajaq
Born in Louisiana, Ajaq was 17 when he visited the occupied West Financial institution to see his kinfolk final 12 months.
On January 19, 2024, he was driving a pick-up truck along with his pals when Israelis sprayed the car with bullets and killed him.
Mohammed Salameh, who witnessed and survived the assault, mentioned the capturing was unprovoked.
Whereas it’s not clear which particular person shot Ajaq, Israel mentioned the incident concerned “an off-duty legislation enforcement officer, a soldier and a civilian” and was sparked by “rock-throwing actions” – a declare that Salameh has denied.
The US State Division known as for an “pressing investigation to find out the circumstance” of the incident.
However greater than 19 months after the capturing, Israel has not publicly launched any findings or charged any suspect within the capturing.
“We really feel deserted by our authorities,” Ajaq’s uncle, Mohammad Abdeljabbar, told Al Jazeera final 12 months.
Mohammad Khdour
Khdour was additionally 17 when he was killed below nearly equivalent circumstances to Ajaq simply weeks later.
In accordance with his cousin Malek Mansour, who witnessed the assault, an unidentified assailant opened hearth at their automotive within the occupied West Financial institution from a car with an Israeli quantity plate.
Mansour mentioned the assault was unprovoked. Khdour died on February 10, 2024.
The 2 had been consuming cookies and taking selfies moments earlier than the capturing.
As soon as once more, Washington known as for a probe.
“There must be an investigation. We have to get the info. And if applicable, there must be accountability,” then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed reporters at the moment.
However advocates say that, whereas usually Israel launches sham investigations into such incidents, Israeli authorities haven’t acknowledged Khdour’s killing in any respect.
The Israeli army and police informed the publication Haaretz final 12 months that they aren’t acquainted with the case.
Jacob Flickinger
An Israeli air strike focused a World Central Kitchen (WCK) car in Gaza on April 1, 2024, killing seven support staff, sparking anger and condemnation internationally.
Among the many victims was Flickinger, a 33-year-old US-Canadian twin citizen.
Biden known as for a “swift” Israeli investigation into the assault, which he mentioned “should carry accountability”.
However Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu known as the blast a “tragic accident”.
The Israeli army mentioned the commander who ordered the strike had “mistakenly assumed” that gunmen within the space had been within the support car.
It added that the commander didn’t establish the automotive as related to World Central Kitchen, a well known starvation aid initiative based by celeb chef Jose Andres.
A World Central Kitchen brand was displayed prominently on the highest of the car earlier than the assault.
Israel mentioned it dismissed two commanders over the incident, however there have been no prison costs.
Since then, Israel has killed a whole bunch of support staff in Gaza, together with Palestinian staff members from World Central Kitchen.
Final 12 months, the Worldwide Prison Courtroom issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for utilizing hunger as a weapon of battle in Gaza in addition to different alleged battle crimes.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi
Eygi, born in Washington state, was taking part in a protest in opposition to an unlawful settler outpost within the West Financial institution on September 6, 2024, when an Israeli soldier shot her within the head.
She was 26.
Whereas there have been experiences of a scuffle throughout a crackdown on the demonstration by Israeli forces, a number of witnesses have mentioned that Eygi was shot throughout a peaceful interval after the chaos had ended.
The State Division called on Israel to “shortly and robustly” examine Eygi’s killing, nevertheless it dominated out conducting its personal probe.
Biden dismissed her demise as an “accident”, however Blinken condemned it as “unprovoked and unjustified”.
On the identical day that Eygi was fatally shot by Israel, the US Justice Division filed costs in opposition to Hamas leaders after the killing of US-Israeli captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin in Gaza.
The Israeli army mentioned its troopers probably killed Eygi “not directly and unintentionally” – a conclusion that her household known as offensive, stressing that she was focused by a sniper.
“The disregard proven for human life within the inquiry is appalling,” the household mentioned in an announcement.
Trump ally Randy Effective, now a Congress member, celebrated the killing of Eygi. “One much less #MuslimTerrorist,” he wrote in a social media put up, referring to the capturing.
Kamel Jawad
When Jawad, a celebrated chief within the Lebanese American community in Michigan, was killed by an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon on October 1 of final 12 months, the Biden administration initially denied he was a US citizen.
Washington later acknowledged that Jawad was American, expressing “alarm” over his killing.
“As we have now famous repeatedly, it’s a ethical and strategic crucial that Israel take all possible precautions to mitigate civilian hurt. Any lack of civilian life is a tragedy,” the US State Division mentioned at the moment.
Israel has not commented publicly on the strike that killed Jawad.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) slammed the Biden administration’s dealing with of the case, together with the US authorities’s preliminary “smug” response.
“It’s as in the event that they’re deliberately making an attempt to see our individuals killed, deliberately downplaying us and dehumanising us,” ADC government director Abed Ayoub told Al Jazeera final 12 months.
Amer Rabee
On April 6, Israeli forces within the West Financial institution fatally shot 14-year-old Rabee, a New Jersey native, and known as him a “terrorist”. Two of his pals had been additionally injured within the assault.
Whereas the Israeli army accused Rabee and his pals of throwing rocks at Israeli autos, the slain teenager’s household insisted that he was choosing almonds on the facet of the highway.
The Trump administration did not pursue accountability within the case and even publicly press for additional particulars concerning the incident.
As a substitute, the State Division cited the Israeli account concerning the 14-year-old’s killing.
“We provide our sincerest condolences to the household on their loss,” the State Division mentioned at the moment. “We acknowledge the [Israeli military’s] preliminary assertion that expressed that this incident occurred throughout a counter-terrorism operation.”
