It's been more than three days since American Sayfollah Musallet was allegedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers, and the 20-year-old's father says the family has only received customary outreach from the US consulate. No one from the White House has contacted the family. No one from Congress. No one who represents Florida, where Musallet hails from.
“I honestly, deeply, not only think, [but] know that if this was an Israeli-American, that they would be on top of their things, " Kamel Musallet tells Prem in his first English, extended on-camera interview. “But because he's Palestinian-American, I feel that...we don't have the same standards…Just two different worlds.”
The Israeli military said it is investigating the incident; an Israeli military reservist was among those questioned for possible involvement. Another young Palestinian, Muhammad Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, was killed in the same attack. He was shot and left bleeding for hours, Palestinian officials said.
President Donald Trump, whose exclusive beach club residence is in Florida, has also said nothing publicly about the matter. Nor has his vice president, JD Vance. Trump was instead attending a Club World Cup match while Vance was at Disneyland this weekend.
“Trump says, ‘America first. So, he [Sayfollah] is an American; why are you not putting America first?” Kamel Musallet tells Prem.
“An American has been killed by Israeli violence… Israeli settler terrorism,” he adds, noting how seven Americans have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the past 21 months. “When does it stop? When does this stop? Why are you not putting any pressure on them? …Why are these people not [held] accountable?”
And it isn’t just Trump and Vance.
Most other US politicians have been conspicuously silent here at home. Neither of Florida’s senators – Republicans Rick Scott and Ashley Moody – has made public comments on the killing of one of their own constituents. Neither responded to Zeteo’s request for comment, nor did the White House.
Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor, who represents Musallet’s district, 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 doesn’t mention who killed Musallet. Zeteo has reached out to Castor for additional comment.
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.
Watch the full interview above to hear Kamel Musallet discuss the attack, the lack of US response, what Israel has told the family, his last conversation with his son, and more about the person Sayfollah was.
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