A village in the West Bank, 85% of its residents are American Palestinian citizens who come every summer to join their families and maintain their connection to their homeland, aware that their American passports do not provide them with any immunity from the persecution of the Israeli army and settlers.
Mohammad Rabi' began to accept, after three months, that his son Omar would never return home after being killed by Israeli soldiers. The report shows that Omar Rabi', who was 14 years old, was shot 16 times, including twice in the head.
Turmus Ayya is unique in that 85% of its residents are Americans who immigrated after the Nakba or after the 1967 war. These individuals return every summer to their villages, increasing its population from 5,000 to 14,000.
Since the rise of the far-right led by Netanyahu, the West Bank has become a theater of violence against Palestinians, with 1,004 Palestinians killed between 2023 and 2024.
Samia Alqam, an American of Palestinian descent, says that belonging to the land is not paper-based but emotional, emphasizing that the only bond that connects Palestinians around the world is the land.
For Israel, American citizenship means nothing; it is just an empty coincidence.
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Le Monde: The Village of Forgotten Americans in Palestine