Palestinian-American Teenager Killed in West Bank Is Laid to Rest

Nasrallah Abu Siyam, 19, was shot dead by an Israeli settler, according to a witness and Palestinian health officials, amid rising violent settler attacks in the Israeli-occupied territory.The funeral of Nasrallah Abu Siyam, 19, in Mukhmas, a village in the West Bank, on Thursday, a day after he was killed.Credit...John Wessels/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFeb. 20, 2026, 12:48 p.m. ETA Palestinian-American teenager was laid to rest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday, a day after he was shot dead by an Israeli settler, according to a resident who said he had witnessed the shooting and the Palestinian Health Ministry.Dozens of people participated in a funeral procession, carrying the remains of the teenager, Nasrallah Abu Siyam, through Mukhmas, a hillside village north of Jerusalem.The death of Mr. Abu Siyam, 19, underscored rising violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.In the past few years, increasingly emboldened settler extremists have terrorized residents of Palestinian villages, setting buildings on fire, cutting down olive trees, stealing livestock, and killing or injuring people. The attacks have compounded a widespread feeling of insecurity among Palestinians living near settler outposts.Mr. Abu Siyam was killed on Wednesday while attempting to prevent a group of settlers from stealing livestock on the edge of Mukhmas, according to a resident of the village who said that he had witnessed the shooting.The resident, Atta Kanaan, 54, said that settlers had thrown rocks at residents of the village, prompting some to hurl rocks back. Mr. Abu Siyam was struck by a rock thrown by a settler, Mr. Kanaan said, adding that a settler then shot him.The Palestinian Health Ministry said Mr. Abu Siyam succumbed to his wounds on Thursday after being hit by the “bullet of settlers.”Israeli soldiers were present in the area around the time of the shooting, Mr. Kanaan said, firing tear gas and sound grenades. It was unclear whether the soldiers were present at the scene of the shooting itself.The Israeli military said in a statement on Friday that the soldiers had been dispatched to Mukhmas following “a report of a violent confrontation including rock hurling.” The military said reports indicated that “suspects in the area” had fired live ammunition at Palestinians, without specifying who those suspects were or whether they were settlers.The incident, the military said, was under review.ImageRaghad, Mr. Abu Siyam’s mother, mourning over her son’s body during his funeral in Mukhmas on Thursday.Credit...Ammar Awad/ReutersThe U.N. humanitarian affairs office in Jerusalem recorded 1,828 settler attacks against Palestinians and their property in 2025, the highest annual toll since 2006.Mohammed Abu Siyam, Nasrallah’s father, said his son was born in the United States but had spent most of his life in the West Bank. The older Mr. Abu Siyam said his son had recently been helping him tend to his livestock and cultivate his olive trees.“My heart is on fire,” he said. “I’m broken. He helped me with everything.”Asked about the shooting, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said that it condemned “this violence” but that it could not provide details at this time because of privacy regulations.The safety of American citizens abroad is the State Department’s highest priority, the embassy added.In July, Israeli settlers beat and killed another Palestinian-American man during a confrontation in the West Bank town of Sinjil, according to Palestinian authorities and the man’s family.Roughly three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule, a system that offers them few guarantees for justice, while some 500,000 settlers in the territory enjoy the same rights as other Israeli citizens.Palestinian and Israeli rights groups say the Israeli government turns a blind eye to settler attacks on Palestinians. Israeli soldiers and police officers who disperse clashes between settlers and Palestinians frequently leave without detaining the assailants or arrest only Palestinians, the groups say. Relatively few of the Israeli perpetrators are ever indicted, let alone convicted, according to these groups.Sanjana Varghese contributed reporting to this article. Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.SKIP