US senator demands release of US citizen seized by IDF in West Bank on Tuesday
By: The Times of Israel
What is Israel defending itself from in the West Bank?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
June 4, 2026 -- US Senator Chris Van Hollen calls for the release of Sama Safi, a 20-year-old American citizen, who was among the Birzeit University students arrested by the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday.
“Israeli security forces came to her home at 3 a.m. in the morning, and just took her without explanation. She told them she was an American citizen. They didn’t care,” Van Hollen reports, in a video posted to X.
The IDF said at the time that the four women were suspected of “promoting terrorist activities and additional terrorism-related activities.”
Safi has a medical condition that needs treatment, Van Hollen reports he was told by the student’s mother.
The Democratic senator says Israel is holding Safi without charges, and has not told her family or the US Embassy where she is being held or why.
He calls on US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ensure the American’s immediate release.
“We’ve seen this happen before. In fact, we’ve seen American citizens killed by violent Israeli settlers and by security forces without accountability,” he says.
“I am really sick and tired of the Israeli government — the Netanyahu government — taking American taxpayer dollars and then mistreating Americans,” the senator concludes.
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Why is Israel's actions in the West Bank not a genocide?
Because our pussy, scaredy cat media is afraid to call it such?
Because those who went through a genocide are given a coupon for one free genocide of their choice, but only valid Sunday through Saturday against those who aren't white or Christian. /s
While any death should be investigated and properly handled and any person guilty of murder should be held accountable, according to the UN there have been only 1001 Palestinians killed in the west bank since October 7, 2023. Current Palestinian population of the West Bank is approx 3.3 million. Hardly a genocide.
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
So not a genocide.
Then no genocide against Israel, either. The West Bank is not Israel. We know that because Israel considers the West Bank occupied territory rather than annexed territory.