More than 700 rabbis, educators, and Jewish communal leaders from the United States and Israel have signed a public letter condemning deadly settler violence following the killing of a Palestinian and a Palestinian-American last Friday, July 18, near the occupied West Bank town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
Sayf al-Din Musallet, a 23-year-old dual US citizen from Florida, was beaten to death during the settlers’ pogrom on Friday evening. The second man, Mohammed Shalabi, 23, died after being shot in the chest, Zo Haderekh reported.
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank town of al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya attend last Saturday the funerals of Palestinian-American Saif al-Din Musallet, 23, and Mohammed Shalabi, 23, July 19, 2025 (Photo: Activestills)
Musallet, a businessman whose nickname was Saif, was born in Florida and travelled from his home in Tampa to the West Bank on 4 June “to spend time with his loved ones”, according to his family. A family statement said he was “brutally beaten to death by Israeli settlers while he was protecting his family’s land from settlers who were attempting to steal it”. “Israeli settlers surrounded Saif for over three hours as paramedics attempted to reach him, but the mob of settlers blocked the ambulance and paramedics from providing life-saving aid.” “After the mob of Israeli settlers cleared, Saif’s younger brother rushed to carry his brother to the ambulance. Saif died before making it to the hospital.”
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Shalabi was from the town of al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya, just south of Sinjil. It cited the Palestinian health ministry as saying that he was shot in the chest by settlers, during the same attack in which Musallet was killed. He was left bleeding for hours before paramedics were able to reach him, it added. Wafa reported than another 10 Palestinians from Sinjil and neighboring areas were injured in the clashes with settlers who were armed with automatic rifles. Between 8 and 14 July, the UN documented at least 30 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. These attacks led to the death of two Palestinians, one by settlers and one where it is unknown if he was killed by settlers or Israeli forces. Another 92 Palestinians were also injured during these attacks: 14 by Israeli forces and 78 by Israeli settlers. In addition, more than 450 olive, almond and apricot trees were vandalized. In June 2025, Israeli settlers injured 100 Palestinians—the highest monthly figure recorded since UN began documenting casualties in 2005. This alarming rise continued into the first two weeks of July, during which settlers injured an additional 88 Palestinians, the majority of whom were physically assaulted.
The rabbis, educators, and Jewish communal leaders’ statement was published by Smol Emuni US, a left-wing Jewish organization that describes itself as being “committed to the foundational religious principle that all people are created in the image of God.” The letter is endorsed by Jewish leaders from across all streams of Judaism, from Orthodox to Reconstructionist and non-denominational.
“In response to settler violence targeted against the West Bank village of Sinjil Palestinian town northeast of Ramallah last Friday, and which led to the deaths of two Palestinians, Orthodox rabbis, educators and community leaders in the United States and Israel have led a charge to condemn this incident as well as the alarming increase in settler violence against civilian, nonviolent Palestinians,” the statement reads. “These escalating incidents of settler violence have included the burning of inhabited homes and expulsion of men, women, and children from their land. Some of the perpetrators believe they are fulfilling God’s commandment to conquer the land.” Smol Emuni is working in collaboration with Hasmol Haemuni in Israel, a group of activists from the religious, Haredi and Masorti community who seek to promote peace, equality and justice in Israeli society.
