‘Grave concern,’ 26 Dems in Congress say of Israel holding US citizen accused of terror attack
Critics said that there is selective outrage from Congress about Palestinians but not about Israeli hostages.
Twenty-six Democrats in the House and Senate and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who votes with the Democrats, penned a letter to Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, and Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, demanding answers about Israel’s detention of Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, a Palestinian-American accused of throwing rocks at cars.
The members of Congress wrote on Tuesday about their “grave concern” about Ibrahim’s detention since mid-February.
“Mohammed is a U.S. citizen from Florida who was reportedly blindfolded, handcuffed and arrested on Feb. 16, 2025 when Israeli forces reportedly entered his family home in al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya at 3 a.m.,” they wrote. “He was detained when he was 15-years-old and turned 16 in prison. He has been accused of throwing rocks at Israeli settlers, but no evidence has been publicly provided to support this allegation.”
The members of Congress stated that “Palestinians are subject to military law in the West Bank and are tried in military courts, where there have been well-documented concerns about Palestinians not receiving fair due process.” (Some officials and countries refer to Judea and Samaria as the “West Bank.”)
“Mohammed is also the first cousin of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, the 20-year-old U.S. citizen who was reportedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July 2025,” the members of Congress said. “To date, no one has been arrested concerning his killing. “
The members, including Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), requested a response by Nov. 3.
On Monday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and accused the Jewish state of “callous disregard for human life,” brought renewed attention to Ibrahim.
“His health is deteriorating,” she stated. “The circumstances are desperate.” She called Ibrahim a “child” and said that Washington “must use every avenue available” to secure this release.
A U.S. State Department official told JNS that Huckabee has devoted significant time to the issues of Palestinian American safety in Judea and Samaria and to the welfare of Palestinian Christians.
The official, who declined to be named, would not say if Huckabee has been involved in Ibrahim’s case. (JNS sought comment from Huckabee’s office.)
Van Hollen and Merkley, who are also critical of Israel, met with Ibrahim’s father last month during a congressional visit to the Middle East.
The 16-year-old’s family held high-profile meetings last month on Capitol Hill. Some expected Ibrahim, who is held at Ofer Prison, to be among the Palestinian security prisoners whom Israel released last week in exchange for Israeli hostages in Gaza. He was not on that list.
‘Charge the kid or put him on the next flight back’
Critics accused Pressley, a member of the progressive “Squad” in the U.S. House of Representatives, of selective outrage.
“You said nothing about Americans abducted by Hamas, but now care so much about a little terrorist in prison for trying to murder civilians by throwing rocks at their vehicles while they were driving,” stated Jason Bedrick, research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “You are loathsome.”
Aaron Baker, a Republican running against Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) next year, stated that “Republicans and Democrats agree: Americans—Floridians abroad deserve equal rights to a fair trial.”
“Charge the kid or put him on the next flight back to U.S. soil,” he stated. “There is no reason to hold a U.S. citizen for eight months without charging him.”
In response to Pressley, Inna Vernikov, a Republican councilwoman in New York City, stated that “if he did not throw rocks at the vehicles of innocent civilians—those can kill—including women and children. I promise he would not be in an Israeli prison.”
“Too bad Mohammed is brainwashed by a society that glorifies the murder of Jews as martyrdom,” she added.
Ibrahim’s family lives in the Arab village of Silwad but splits its time between there and Palm Bay, Fla. He was reportedly on vacation at the time of his arrest and denies the charges.
U.S. embassy officials say they have conducted welfare checks on Ibrahim but have faced unspecified restrictions. Ibrahim’s family says he has lost significant weight and suffers from a skin infection. The State Department hasn’t confirmed those claims.
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