14 Senators Posed With Netanyahu – But Said Nothing When a Palestinian-American Was Killed by Israeli Settlers
From the White House to Congress, there's largely been silence from US leaders on the brutal killing of 20-year-old Florida native Sayfollah Musallet.
Last Wednesday, 14 Republican and Democratic senators took a chummy photo with Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges.
It was just a taste of the hobnobbing the genocidal Israeli leader enjoyed during his third visit to Washington, DC, since Donald Trump’s re-election.
The 14 senators were:
Adam Schiff (D-California)
Chuck Schumer (D-New York)
Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada)
Maria Cantwell (D-Washington)
Chris Coons (D-Delaware)
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota)
Cory Booker (D-New Jersey)
Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Jim Risch (R-Idaho)
Steve Daines (R-Montana)
Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana)
Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania)
John Thune (R-South Dakota)
Jon Husted (R-Ohio)
Some in the photo shared the image on social media, cheerfully welcoming the chance to spend time with Netanyahu.
Yet, two days later, when Israeli settlers brutalized a 20-year-old American, beating him to death, there was silence.
That 20-year-old was Sayfollah Musallet, a Florida native, who was pronounced dead by the time he arrived at a hospital in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli settlers, alongside Israeli soldiers, had blocked an ambulance from reaching him for hours.
Not only did the 14 senators appear to say nothing publicly about Musallet, but when Zeteo reached out asking if they had any response to the killing of an American, or what message they would give to the leader they just took a photo with, they did not respond.
President Trump has also said nothing publicly about the killing. Nor has his vice president, JD Vance.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who has in the past been a staunch supporter of the settler movement and the annexation of the West Bank, did use strong language to condemn the killing on Tuesday, calling it a “criminal and terrorist act.” He also said he asked Israel to "aggressively investigate” the attack. But it took him four days to publicly respond.
Musallet’s father, Kamel, told Zeteo that by late Monday, no US leader had reached out to his family.
Brutal Murder
Aside from the progressive wing of Congress, most other US politicians have remained silent on the killing of an American. Neither of Florida’s senators – Republicans Rick Scott and Ashley Moody – has spoken on the killing of one of their own constituents. Neither responded to Zeteo’s request for comment, nor did the White House.
Among those who have responded is Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor, who represents Musallet’s district in Florida. She said in a statement on Monday that she was “heartbroken” by the brutal killing and called on the administration to "work with our international partners to ensure the protection of Americans abroad.” She notably, however, doesn’t mention who killed Musallet. Zeteo has reached out to Castor for additional comment.
New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus and a staunch critic of Netanyahu, used much stronger language, condemning Israeli soldiers’ failure to intervene to prevent the “brutal murder” and calling on his colleagues to support his legislation to codify sanctions against West Bank settlers that Trump rolled back.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries also condemned the killing, calling on Israel to hold “any and all settlers responsible for the brutal death of Mr. Musallet accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” and pushing the Trump administration to act.
The State Department, in a statement to Zeteo, said it offers its "sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones on their loss and [is] providing consular assistance to them." It added that it has asked Israeli authorities for further details, and it referred Zeteo to the Israeli government for any questions about an investigation.
The Israeli military, which, according to Musallet’s family, did not prevent the settler violence, nor allow ambulances to reach the young man for hours, said it is investigating the incident. An Israeli military reservist was among those questioned for possible involvement.
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Editor’s note: The caption of the lead photo has been updated to reflect that it was taken in July 2025.
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Not surprised. All of them are brought and paid by AIPAC. Most of US politcal system is brought and paid for my big money and special interest groups. That's not democracy. That's legalised corruption.
All of those democrats need to be gone