US lawmaker calls Israeli detention of Palestinian American student ‘disturbing’

A US congressman on Monday criticized the detention of a Palestinian American student by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, characterizing the incident as a violation of basic due process.

“I am deeply alarmed by the detention of Sama Safi in an Israeli prison,” said Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat from California. He noted that the 20-year-old student was taken from her home in the middle of the night and continues to be held without formal charges.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society confirmed that Safi was detained earlier this month alongside three other female students.

Tran described the arrest as part of a “disturbing pattern” of the Israeli government denying Palestinians their rights, often at the expense of their health and safety.

He asserted that Washington must hold its allies to standards of equal justice and urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene immediately to bring Safi home safely, using “every diplomatic tool available.”

A US State Department spokesperson told Anadolu that the administration is “aware of the detention of an American in the West Bank.”

The official said the Trump administration takes its commitment to assist citizens abroad seriously and is “monitoring the situation,” although no further details were shared due to privacy considerations.

According to Palestinian records, approximately 23,000 individuals have been detained in the occupied territory since the Gaza conflict began.