Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the US is in the process of "gathering more information" on the murder of a Palestinian American in the occupied West Bank.
"We want to get all the information about who was involved. We protect all American citizens anywhere in the world, especially if they're unjustly murdered or killed," Rubio told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
"So, we're gathering more information. But I hope you saw yesterday, Ambassador (Mike) Huckabee in Israel asked the Israeli authorities to produce an investigation and concrete information about who was responsible for his murder."
Rubio was referring to Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death on Friday by illegal Zionist Israeli settlers while visiting his family in the occupied West Bank.
Musallet's family said in a statement that illegal Israeli settlers surrounded him and prevented an ambulance and paramedics from reaching him to deliver life-saving care for three hours. He died before reaching a hospital.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will be having a meeting on Thursday regarding the killing of Musallet.
US Charge d'Affaires ad interim Dorothy Shea noted on Wednesday that Huckabee asked Israel on Tuesday to "aggressively" investigate the murder of Musallet.
"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. And our condolences are with Saif's family," Shea told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.
'Pogroms'
A number of US lawmakers also mourned the death of Musallet and urged the State Department to investigate the incident.
Violence by Israeli settlers has escalated sharply in recent months, with what rights groups sometimes describe as "pogroms" being carried out against Palestinian communities throughout the occupied territory.
A number of American citizens were killed in recent years in the occupied West Bank by Israel, including Shiren Abu Akleh and Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. No one was held accountable.
Last July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion declaring Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and calling on Israel to end its occupation, cease settlement activities and provide reparations.
Since the start of Israel's genocide in besieged Gaza in October 2023, at least 998 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In Gaza, Israel killed over 58,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and reduced most of the enclave to ruins.
