US Senator Chris Van Hollen has renewed his demand for accountability after nine American citizens were killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers or security forces since 2022. In a Senate floor speech, he said that, despite repeated promises, no one has been held responsible for their deaths, reported by The Express Tribune.
Van Hollen named the victims, including veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot near Jenin in 2022 while wearing a vest that identified her as a journalist. He also cited Omar Assad, a 78 year old Palestinian American who died after being detained at an Israeli checkpoint, and Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist killed in 2024.
“Nine American citizens dead. No accountability,” Van Hollen told fellow senators. He described the cases one by one, saying each family had waited for justice that never came.
His speech followed a Senate vote last month in which lawmakers rejected a resolution he had introduced. The measure would have required the US secretary of state to report within 30 days on Israel’s human rights record, including killings of American citizens since January 2022 and the progress of investigations.
Van Hollen also quoted US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who described the killing of Saif Musallet as a “criminal and terrorist act” and called for accountability. The senator asked why such words had not led to action.
The deaths have deepened concern among American families and rights groups, who say US citizens killed abroad deserve the same demand for justice as any others. Van Hollen’s remarks put renewed pressure on Washington to explain why investigations have produced so few results.
For the families of the nine victims, the senator’s message was simple: their loved ones were American citizens, and their deaths should not be forgotten.__Photo courtesy X (Chris Van Hollen)
