Democrats Call on State Department to Free U.S. Citizen Sami Safi from Israeli Jail
A bipartisan group of 40 Democrats urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to secure the release of American student Sami Safi, who has been held in Israel for nearly two months without charge.
A coalition of 40 Democratic legislators, headed by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding that the United States intervene to free Sami Safi, a 20-year-old American student held in an Israeli military prison for almost two months without indictment. Doctors have warned that Safi’s chronic autoinflammatory disorder is at risk of irreversible damage due to alleged mistreatment, including physical assaults, shackling and exposure to unsanitary conditions.
The lawmakers noted that she was moved from Ofer to Damon prison, a shift they say breaches the Geneva Convention, and that Israeli authorities have refused her daily medication after a brief medical release on August 16. The petition, signed by 35 representatives, six senators and 85 rights groups, also referenced the killing of U.S. citizen Nasrallah Abu Siyam and the prolonged detention of Mohammed Ibrahim as part of a broader pattern of American detainees in the region. The letter urges the State Department to act without delay to protect Safi’s life.
Why it matters
It highlights U.S. diplomatic pressure on Israel over the treatment of an American detainee with serious health risks.
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