US Senator Chris Van Hollen has called for accountability regarding the deaths of nine American citizens killed by Israeli security forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank over the last four years.
Speaking on the Senate floor in a speech shared in a video on his social media account, Van Hollen named the deceased individuals and detailed the circumstances of their deaths.
The senator listed the dead as Omar Assad, 78; journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, 51; Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, 17; Mohammad Khdour, 17; Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26; Amer Rabee, 14; Saif Musallet, 20; Khamis Ayyad, 40; and Nasrallah Abu Siyam, 19.
Detailing the cases, Van Hollen said Israeli soldiers stopped Assad at a checkpoint in January 2022. He stated that soldiers dragged Assad from his car, bound his hands, gagged him, blindfolded him, and left him lying on the ground outside. Assad died of a stress induced heart attack.
He recounted that Abu Akleh 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.
Turning to the death of Eygi, a Turkish-American activist raised in Seattle, the senator said she was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier from approximately 200 metres in September 2024. He stated that Rabee was shot 11 times by two different weapons.
Van Hollen cited comments from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who called Musallet’s killing a criminal and terrorist act and stated there must be accountability.
Van Hollen questioned why no action had been taken. After detailing each case, he repeated that no one has been held accountable.
Last month, the Senate voted 47 to 51 to block a resolution led by Van Hollen. That resolution would have required the secretary of state to submit a report on Israel human rights practices within 30 days, including the killings of US citizens by Israeli forces or occupiers since January 2022 and the status of any investigations.
