Lawmakers call on Rubio to intervene in case of US citizen detained by Israel
More than 40 US lawmakers have signed a letter urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to intervene in the case of a US citizen who has been held in an Israeli prison without charge since June.
The signatories are all Democrats, but they come from both chambers of Congress.
Sama Safi, a 20-year-old Birzeit University student in the occupied West Bank, was arrested with three other female colleagues on 2 June.
Safi has a "severe complex chronic health condition [which has] rapidly deteriorated after being subjected to abysmal detention conditions in the months since armed Israeli soldiers raided her family’s home in the occupied West Bank in the middle of the night and tore her from her family", the letter read.
"Her doctors have warned of irreversible and life-threatening damage to her internal organs if her detention continues."
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Safi suffers from Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), which requires regular monitoring, daily medication, and recurring specialised biologic treatment - made from living organisms such as bacteria or animal cells rather than chemical synthesis - that is not available in Palestine or Israel.
She receives treatment in Italy every three months, her relative, Nizar Farzakh, told Middle East Eye on Wednesday.
"Stress positions and shackling have exacerbated her condition, causing severe rheumatoid and chest pain," the letter said.
Safi has been transferred through multiple prison facilities in Israel while blindfolded, "including an illegal transfer out of the occupied West Bank to the Damon Israeli military prison near Haifa - a blatant violation of the 4th Geneva Convention", the lawmakers noted.
"We urge you to act swiftly and use every tool at your disposal to secure the immediate release of Sama Safi," they told Rubio.
Safi was "arbitrarily and wrongfully detained", the lawmakers wrote.
Potential plea deal
Israel insisted she was arrested because of "terror activities", linking her with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a Marxist group with an armed wing.
Safi's lawyer, Israeli human rights advocate Lea Tsemel, denied the allegations raised against her in June, in comments to The Guardian.
Farzakh, who was a former adviser to Palestinian leadership in Ramallah and is now a part-time lecturer at George Washington University in the US capital, told MEE that Safi had simply attended a book club meeting that involved PFLP members.
Safi's mother is Farzakh's first cousin.
"It was [in previous years] established that no, it's not a political party. It's just doing university activity, student activity functions. They're not doing anything political," he told MEE.
But he had little optimism that the Trump administration would intervene to secure her release.
"It looks like things are shifting towards a plea deal," Farzakh explained.
The court is likely going to propose that Safi admit to having attended an event with an illegal organisation present, and receive a sentence of a few months behind bars, he told MEE.
It would include "a hefty fine", he added.
"If she refuses, then she gets a longer sentence and a heftier fine. So there aren't any good options."
Middle East Eye reached out to the State Department for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.
Pattern
Israeli arrests of Palestinian youths and foreign citizens in the occupied West Bank is a frequent occurrence.
Those arrested include students and activists, but also journalists such as Abdulrahman Hasan, who was disappeared last week, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said in a statement.
"Occupation forces continue to carry out daily arrests across the West Bank as part of a systematic policy that has escalated to an unprecedented level since the [Gaza] genocide, bringing the total number of arrests since then to more than 25,000," the group said.
On Wednesday, 45 of the 47 Democrats in the US Senate signed a letter addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging his "personal and direct engagement and intervention in order to protect our constituents and their families".
"The last few weeks alone saw a significant surge in violence on both sides, resulting in a large-scale response by Israeli security forces, mass arrests of Palestinians, and reported attacks by settlers on mosques,” the Senators wrote.
“We urge you to take measures to prevent and intercede in this violence, establish a credible mechanism to investigate violations of law, and to make clear that the Government of Israel will not tolerate violence by its people, just as it does not tolerate violence against its people," the letter added.
They did not name Safi, nor Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old American who spent 10 months in Israeli prison without charge before he was released in November 2025.
"We write particularly on behalf of American citizens who have been killed or threatened in such violence," they said, asking Netanyahu to "ensure that all those responsible for harassment, threats, and violence against Palestinians, including Palestinian-Americans, are held accountable through a transparent and credible process."
The senators called for Israel to complete its own investigations into the deaths of nine US citizens killed in the occupied West Bank in recent years.
Many of them became high profile cases, yet Washington never demanded independent investigations outside of the Israeli military's purview.
Aljazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh appeared to have been targeted by Israeli forces in 2022 when she was shot in the head. Activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was killed by Israeli forces during a protest against the building of illegal settlements near Nablus in 2024. Ice cream shop worker Sayfollah Musallet was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in 2025.
Israeli attacks by both the military and settler groups in the occupied West Bank have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians over the past three years.
Earlier this week Israeli soldiers shot dead a 14-year-old Palestinian boy.
Ambulances belonging to Palestinian first responders are frequently prevented from reaching the wounded, or getting to hospitals in time with critical patients.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
