U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited Turmus Ayya, a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, where he met with Palestinian Americans who have been targeted by Israeli settlers. The visit comes as settler violence has increased, with about 80% of the town's 3,000 residents holding U.S. citizenship. Huckabee condemned the violence and called for perpetrators to be prosecuted, labeling them as terrorists, but noted that they represent a minority of the settler community, which numbers around 750,000 people. The visit highlights the complex situation in the West Bank, where Palestinians face increased restrictions and settler violence under the current Israeli government.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
U.S. ambassador visits Palestinian town amid rise in occupied West Bank settler violence
About 80% of Turmus Ayya's roughly 3,000 residents hold U.S. citizenship, mayor says
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday met with Palestinian Americans, including relatives of U.S. citizens killed by Israeli settlers, in a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank that has been the target of settler attacks.
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that → visit → attacks
The visit comes as settler violence — and what is widely perceived as the Israeli government's inaction — has increasingly drawn international condemnation, including from U.S. allies.
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what → come → allies
The Israeli government has condemned settler violence, though perpetrators are rarely arrested and even less frequently prosecuted.
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perpetrators → condemn → violence
Washington has not criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over the violence, but it has called for perpetrators to be prosecuted, with Huckabee labelling them as terrorists.
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Huckabee → criticize → terrorists
The ambassador described his meeting in Turmus Ayya, where most of the town's Palestinian residents are U.S. citizens, as constructive.
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most → describe → residents
While Huckabee, a Baptist minister and longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, has previously called for violent settlers to be prosecuted, he also says he believes they represent a minority of the settler community, which numbers about 750,000.
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which → call → 750,000
About three million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank, with tens of thousands estimated to be American citizens.
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thousands → live → Bank
Palestinians in the West Bank have faced a surge in settler violence while their freedoms have been increasingly curtailed under military occupation since Netanyahu's coalition — the most right wing in Israel's history — came to power in late 2022.
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coalition → face → 2022
In Turmus Ayya, Palestinians are facing what Mayor Nawwaf Zaghoul said were constant settler attacks.
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Zaghoul → face → Ayya
About 80 per cent of the Palestinian town's roughly 3,000 residents hold U.S. citizenship, he said.
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he → hold → citizenship
Visits to Shiloh
Israeli settlements have been established around the town, including Shiloh, which the ambassador has visited twice since 2025.
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ambassador → establish → 2025
Huckabee, the first evangelical Christian to serve as U.S. envoy to Israel, refers to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria, its biblical name, which is used by the Israeli government but has not been adopted by the United States.
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which → serve → States
Huckabee told reporters in Turmus Ayya that it was in the Israeli government's interest to take action against those carrying out "criminal behaviour and terrorism" and that a "tiny group of little marauders," who he said numbered a few hundred people, were damaging the country's reputation.
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he → tell → reputation
He also said he had told Palestinian Americans that the U.S. Embassy had no power or authority to take action and could only seek to influence and call attention to issues that the U.S. government believed needed to be corrected.
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government → say → issues
In January 2025, shortly after returning to office, U.S. President Donald Trump rescinded sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
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Trump → return → Bank
Yasser Alkam, a Palestinian American and a municipality spokesperson, disagreed with Huckabee's characterization that only a few hundred settlers were carrying out violence against Palestinians.
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settlers → disagree → Palestinians
There were thousands, he said, not hundreds.
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he → be → ?
"The United States does have the power to pressure Israel, at least arrest these settlers, which are known to the authorities," Alkam told reporters.
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Alkam → have → reporters
"They can identify them, one by one, and arrest them, if they want to, with the right amount of pressure from the United States Embassy and the United States administration."
Among those who met Huckabee on Saturday was Hadeel Jabara, a Palestinian American mother of two young children whose husband, Omar, a U.S. citizen, was killed by settlers in 2023.
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husband → identify → 2023
She described the meeting as positive, adding she hoped the U.S. government could help protect residents and that she feared for her children's safety.
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she → describe → safety
At least six Palestinian Americans have been killed in the occupied West Bank either by the Israeli military or settlers since 2024.
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Americans → kill → 2024
