‘If we can’t get justice for American citizens, God help us’
US Senator Chris Van Hollen has called for justice for Palestinian Americans killed by Israeli settlers and troops in an uptick in violence across the occupied West Bank.
In a video posted on X, the Democratic lawmaker said he and fellow Senator Jeff Merkley met with the families of slain US citizens during a visit to the Palestinian territory.
“We want to get justice and accountability for those families. If we can’t get justice and accountability for American citizens, God help us,” Van Hollen said.
“Our government says that we prioritise the protection of American citizens and yet here you have American citizens who’ve been murdered on the West Bank.”
He added: “We need justice not just for them, but we need to end the settler violence on the West Bank … Right now, settlers are engaging in violence with absolute impunity; in fact, with the complicity – the complicity – of the Netanyahu government.”
‘Nothing can uproot me’: Victim of Israeli settler violence in West Bank
At the northern edge of the Palestinian village of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank, 45-year-old Ayed Ghafri insists he will never allow his home to be overtaken by Israeli settlers.
“My house is the gateway to Sinjil. If it falls, thousands of square metres of land and neighbouring homes will fall with it,” he said defiantly.
The house sits on a road connecting Ramallah and Nablus, used daily by Israeli settlers. Ghafri says he faces near-constant harassment, insults, attempted ramming, and even armed intimidation.
“I’ve lost count of the times they attacked me,” he said. “But I was born here. I know how to face extremists. Even with guns in their hands, I do not fear them. Nothing can uproot me.”
His father, brothers and their children once lived with him. They left after repeated settler and army assaults intensified following Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. Ghafri, however, chose to stay and face the enemy.
“We did not risk the children’s lives, but I will never abandon this house,” he said.
