Israeli settlers kill another teenaged US citizen in occupied West Bank
Israeli settlers on Wednesday shot and killed 19-year-old Palestinian-American Nasrallah Abu Siyam as they attacked the Palestinian village of Mukhmas, east of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
He and other residents had intervened to defend a Palestinian farmer under attack by a group of settlers, a witness told the Associated Press.
The Israeli army showed up and dispersed tear gas, sound grenades and live ammunition, the witness, Mukhmas resident Raed Abu Ali, told the AP.
Video circulating on social media appears to show the moment Abu Siyam was shot and his body being dragged away.
A US State Department spokesperson told Middle East Eye in a written statement: "The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. We are aware of the death of an American citizen in the West Bank."
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"We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance. Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones during this difficult time, we have no further comment at this time."
Since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel's subsequent genocide in Gaza, where over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed, there has been a steep escalation in settler attacks on Palestinian homes and farms in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians say Israeli forces do not try to stem the violence, and instead exacerbate it.
Since 2024 alone, at least six US citizens have been killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers: Tawfic Abdel Jabbar; Mohammad Khdour; Ayşenur Ezgi; Amer Rabee; Sayfollah Musallet; and now Nasrallah Abu Siyam.
Accountability for their deaths remains elusive.
The United Nations human rights agency said in a report released on Thursday that the spate of attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the occupied West Bank may amount to "ethnic cleansing".
It cites "systematic unlawful use of force by Israeli security forces, the widespread arbitrary detention and torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinians in detention, and the extensive unlawful demolition of Palestinian homes," which is "used to systematically discriminate, oppress, control and dominate the Palestinian people".
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