TURMUS AYYA
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met Palestinian Americans in the occupied West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on Saturday, including relatives of US citizens killed by Israeli settlers, as international concern over settler violence continues to grow.
The visit comes amid mounting criticism of settler attacks in the West Bank and what critics describe as inadequate action by the Israeli government against perpetrators. Israeli authorities have condemned settler violence, but arrests and prosecutions remain uncommon.
Huckabee said his meeting with Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya was constructive. He also said it was in Israel’s interest to prosecute people involved in “criminal behaviour and terrorism”, describing violent settlers as a small group damaging the country’s reputation.
The ambassador has previously called for violent settlers to face prosecution, while maintaining that they represent only a minority of the approximately 750,000 settlers living across the West Bank.
Turmus Ayya has a particularly large Palestinian American population. Mayor Nawwaf Zaghoul said around 80% of the town’s Palestinian residents hold US citizenship and described settler attacks as constant.
Settlements have expanded around the town, including near Shiloh, which Huckabee has visited twice since 2025. A longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, he frequently uses the biblical term “Judea and Samaria” for the West Bank, terminology also used by the Israeli government but not officially adopted by Washington.
The meeting comes as Palestinians face increasing restrictions and violence under Israel’s military occupation. Around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, with tens of thousands estimated to be American citizens.
