EXCLUSIVE: Mike Huckabee Said He Told Netanyahu There Must Be Justice, Father of Slain Palestinian-American Tells Zeteo
A day after calling Sayfollah Musallet's dad, the US ambassador to Israel attended Netanyahu's corruption trial in an apparent show of support for the Israeli leader.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed the need for justice for a 20-year-old American killed by Israeli settlers, the victim’s father told Zeteo after speaking to the top US diplomat on the phone.
On Tuesday, Huckabee called Kamel Musallet, the father of Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers last week in the occupied West Bank. The call, four days after the killing, marked the first time a high-level Trump administration official made contact with the victim’s family. Sayfullah Musallet is from Florida and was visiting family in the West Bank when he was attacked. Another Palestinian, 23-year-old Mohammad al-Shalabi, was also killed.
During Tuesday’s call, which hasn’t previously been reported, Huckabee shared his condolences, Musallet said.
Musallet asked Huckabee to visit their family’s home, so he could see for himself the Palestinian land and village of Sinjil, which have been repeatedly attacked by Israeli settlers.
“I [asked] him, ‘Should I be afraid to go into my land?’ Musallet told Zeteo. Huckabee, according to Musallet, responded by saying he shouldn’t be and that the violence needs to stop.
Musallet said Huckabee came across as genuinely concerned for his son. He added that he hopes that the tone will be matched with an actual, thorough investigation – and while the US often has deferred to Israel in the past, ideally, the US would lead the investigation.
“You know, every week, when anybody goes [to the village], they know that there's a chance that they might not come back,” Musallet told Zeteo. “But you go there knowing that you have to, because if you don't, they'll [Israeli settlers] take it. And they've stolen so much land, and it just doesn't make sense that they're still stealing land in 2025 with all the international pressure, with everything that's going on, that they're still able to do it.”
Huckabee’s office and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to Musallet, the call took place just before Huckabee, who has previously expressed staunch support for the settler movement and the annexation of the West Bank, condemned the killing on Twitter. He called it a “criminal and terrorist act” and said he asked Israel to "aggressively investigate” the attack.
The following day, on Wednesday, Huckabee made an unprecedented appearance at Netanyahu’s corruption trial to apparently show support for the embattled leader facing bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges (Netanyahu denies the charges). Huckabee compared Netanyahu’s plight to Donald Trump’s (who was convicted in a fraud trial last year), and boosted the US president’s claims that Netanyahu's corruption trial was a “POLITICAL WITCH HUNT."
Musallet said that no other US officials have contacted him. Aside from much of the progressive wing of Congress, most other US politicians, including President Donald Trump, 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 followed up on Tuesday, writing: “I urge all Florida representatives, senators, Secretary of State [Marco Rubio] and the President to demand full accountability for the attack on Floridian Musallet.”
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Huckabee is a religious fanatic and a fraud. The family would be wise not to believe a single word coming out of his mouth. Make no mistake about it: he despises Palestinians and fully supports their annihilation.
Hackabbe, another name is US politics that should ring alarm bells in people's head. How daughter isn't any better.