CAIR urges US to probe the death of father killed in Israeli settler attack

US Muslim radical highlights ineligible statutes that it says alteration the Trump medication to analyse the incident.

A Muslim American radical has sent a missive to the medication of President Donald Trump urging it to analyse the decease of United States national Khamis Ayyad successful a settler onslaught successful the occupied West Bank.

The Council connected American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Ayyad’s household has “no assurance successful immoderate probe conducted by Israeli authorities”.

The letter, penned by CAIR and its Chicago chapter, was sent connected Wednesday, astir a week aft Ayyad’s decease connected July 31.

Addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi, it underscored ineligible provisions, including the US-Israel Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), that would alteration Washington to analyse Ayyad’s death.

“The Department of Justice has antecedently relied connected these precise statutes to analyse the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks successful Israel, which killed respective Americans. Yet it has failed to use them erstwhile the perpetrators are Israeli,” the missive read.

“This treble modular is indefensible and is simply a CLEAR enactment of discrimination. American citizenship indispensable not beryllium selectively protected based connected the individuality oregon governmental alliances of the killer.”

Ayyad, a Chicago country nonmigratory and begetter of five, was 1 of 2 US citizens killed in settler attacks successful the West Bank successful July.

According to Ayyad’s family, settlers torched cars extracurricular his location successful the municipality of Silwad, northbound of Ramallah, past week.

Ayyad woke up to enactment retired the fire, but past the Israeli service showed up astatine the country and started firing teardrop state successful his direction.

The household believes that Ayyad died from inhaling teardrop state and fume from the burning vehicles.

Earlier successful July, Israeli settlers besides bushed to decease 20-year-old Sayfollah Musallet, a Florida native, adjacent the West Bank colony of Sinjil.

The US authorities has acknowledged Ayyad’s decease but stopped abbreviated of denouncing it oregon adjacent calling for an investigation.

“We tin corroborate the decease of a US national successful the municipality of Silwad successful the West Bank,” a US State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera past week.

“We connection condolences to the household connected their nonaccomplishment and are providing consular assistance to them. We condemn transgression unit by immoderate enactment successful the West Bank.”

According to CAIR, US officials person not reached retired to Ayyad’s family.

William Asfour, the operations coordinator for CAIR-Chicago, said the State Department’s connection shows that “Palestinian lives are not valued” by the US government.

“This connection from the State Department seems much similar formalities than immoderate existent concern,” Asfour told Al Jazeera. “We privation to spot nonstop action. Holding the violent settlers accountable is simply a measurement successful the close direction.”

After Israeli soldiers oregon settlers termination American citizens, the US usually calls connected Israel to investigate.

But Israel seldom prosecutes anyone for abuses against Palestinians. Rights advocates person agelong argued that Israel is not equipped to analyse its ain crimes.

For example, nary charges person been brought successful the lawsuit of Musallet’s fatal beating astir 1 period later.

The CAIR missive stressed that Israel has a “well-documented and profoundly troubling past of distorting facts, fabricating narratives, and systematically exonerating its soldiers and amerciable settlers”.

Since 2022, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed astatine slightest 10 US citizens. None of the cases person resulted successful transgression charges.

“The execution of Khamis Ayyad indispensable people a turning point. The clip to halt hiding down ineligible technicalities and governmental convenience is now. Inaction is complicity,” the CAIR missive said.

On Monday, Congressman Chuy Garcia, who represents a territory successful the Chicago area, besides called for the US to motorboat its ain probe into Ayyad’s death.

“I articulation his household successful urging a afloat US probe into the incidental and request the accountability of those involved,” Garcia wrote successful a social media post.