RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli settlers beat and killed a 20-year-old Palestinian American man during a confrontation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and a second Palestinian was fatally shot, according to Palestinian authorities and the families of both men.
The Israeli military did not confirm or deny the deaths, but said there had been a violent exchange Friday between Palestinians and Israeli civilians near the West Bank town of Sinjil, where the two deaths were reported. The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, and Israeli police were looking into the reported casualties, the military said.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem confirmed the death of the man with U.S. citizenship, identifying him as Seifeddin Musalat, but did not address the circumstances. U.S. officials have asked Israel for further details, the embassy said.
Musalat, 20, was born in Florida and returned to the West Bank last month to visit family, his cousin, Diana Halum, told The New York Times in an interview Saturday. Halum and other family members live in Mazraa al-Sharqiya, a nearby Palestinian town.
Mohammed al-Shalabi, 23, was shot and killed during the clashes, according to Palestinian health officials. It was not immediately clear who shot him: Both armed settlers and Israeli forces were on the scene.
The full chain of events leading to the killings was not immediately clear. The violence unfolded near Sinjil, where there was an hourslong standoff between settlers and Palestinians, according to witnesses and officials.
The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said that Musalat died after he was “severely beaten” by Jewish settlers.
“His body showed signs of strangulation, a large bruise on his back that looked like it came from a rock, and dirt was found in his mouth,” said Halum, who said she saw her cousin’s body at a nearby hospital.
The Israeli military said that the violence began Friday when Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli civilians, lightly injuring two of them.
Al-Shalabi was missing for hours after the violence, according to his uncle, Samer al-Shalabi, and Mohammad Zaban, the mayor of nearby Mazraa al-Sharqiya. At first, his family believed he had been arrested by Israeli forces, the two men told the Times on Saturday.
Israeli authorities later said that he was not in their custody, leading villagers to launch a search. They found his body around 10 p.m. Friday with a fatal gunshot wound and extensive bruising on his face and neck, his uncle said.