The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Elderly Palestinian American dies after being detained by Israeli soldiers in West Bank

The U.S. government has called for a ‘thorough investigation’ into the death of the 80-year-old man

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January 12, 2022 at 5:54 p.m. EST
People stand next to a poster of Palestinian American Omar Abdalmajeed As'ad, 80, in Jiljilya village in the West Bank on Jan. 12. (Mohamad Torokman/Reuters)

JERUSALEM — An 80-year-old Palestinian American man died Wednesday after being detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, prompting U.S. officials to call for an investigation into the circumstances of his death.

The victim, identified as Omar Abdalmajeed As’ad, was still wearing a plastic restraining zip tie on one wrist when he was found early Wednesday morning in a village outside of Ramallah, according to Palestinian officials.