No justice for Americans killed by Israelis

Nine Americans who have been killed either by Israeli soldiers or radical Israeli settlers since 2022 have not received any form of justice. The victims — a journalist, a grandfather, women, several teenagers and an aid worker — were all American citizens.

Omar As’ad was a 78-year-old man who died in January 2022 after being detained and bound by Israeli forces at a checkpoint that only stops Christians and Muslims, not Jews.

Shireen Abu Akleh was a prominent Palestinian American journalist who was shot in the head by Israeli forces in the West Bank in May 2022 while covering a news story.

Tawfic Abdel Jabbar was a 17-year-old boy killed by gunfire in the West Bank in January 2024.

Mohammad Khdour, also 17, was fatally shot by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank in February 2024.

Jacob Flickinger was a 33-year-old US-Canadian dual citizen and World Central Kitchen aid worker killed in an Israeli strike in an area of Gaza where civilians were lined up trying to get food in April 2024.

Their murders have been pushed aside as America continues to strengthen its political bonds with Israel

Ray Hanania

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was a 26-year-old Turkish American activist who was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier during a protest in the West Bank in September 2024.

Sayfollah Musallet was a 20-year-old who was fatally beaten by Israeli settlers in the West Bank in July 2025.

Khamis Ayyad was a 40-year-old man who died of smoke inhalation after a fire was set by Israeli settlers in the West Bank in July 2025.

Nasrallah Abu Siyam was the most recent murder victim. He was a 19-year-old who was killed in the West Bank in February this year.

All were American citizens. None were ever charged with any crimes. All have been denied their rights.

Despite repeated requests for accountability from members of Congress, their murders have been pushed aside as America continues to strengthen its political bonds with Israel.

The Arab and Muslim victims are treated as if they lack any human rights. In contrast, Jewish Americans who are killed in Israel or the Occupied Territories are prioritized by America’s political elite and the mainstream news media. This bias is not just driven by politics but also racism and Islamophobia.

There is no doubt that Americans killed in Israel and the Occupied Territories are widely ignored if they are Arab and mourned if they are Jewish. This is the reality of an apartheid system in a country protected by a hypocritical US foreign policy.

How insignificant is the killing of an American when the perpetrators are Israeli soldiers, police or settlers? Very.

The US Senate has 100 members, yet only 31 agreed to sign a March 5 letter urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Pam Bondi, who was attorney general at the time, to explain the circumstances of the murders and to assure other Americans that, when their loved ones are killed in Israel or the Occupied Territories, there will be accountability.

These cases prompt serious doubts about how genuine Washington’s alliance with Tel Aviv really is

Ray Hanania

The letter, organized by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland following Abu Siyam’s killing, has gone unanswered.

“We write with grave concern regarding the ongoing lack of accountability for the deaths of Americans in the West Bank,” it stated. “This is yet another example of the impunity afforded to extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank under the protection of the Israel Defense Forces. The US government must conduct a credible and independent investigation into Nasrallah’s killing and hold all perpetrators accountable.”

Despite public declarations by Rubio that the safety of American citizens is “our No. 1 priority” when it comes to the US’ military attacks on foreign nations like Venezuela and Iran, he has not addressed the killings of Americans by Israelis.

“At the Department of State, our No. 1 priority is the safety and security of American citizens everywhere in the world,” Rubio said shortly after the US launched its war on Iran. But the “safety and security of Americans” in foreign countries has always been little more than an excuse used by recent governments to justify conflict. It is rarely actually about citizens’ safety.

The failure of the US to take a strong stand on the killings of these nine Americans raises questions about the real purpose of its justifications for foreign military interventions and, more importantly, its relationship with Israel’s government.

When Israel’s government refuses to fully investigate and prosecute Jewish Israelis accused of killing Americans, it prompts serious doubts about how genuine Washington’s alliance with Tel Aviv really is.

Instead of telling Americans how important their “safety and security” is, political leaders should make it clear to the Israeli government that any killing of a US citizen will have serious consequences.

• Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X: @RayHanania