US envoy’s West Bank visit exposes limits of pressure on settler violence
Mike Huckabee urged Israel to act against violent settlers in Turmus Ayya, while Palestinian Americans called for stronger US pressure and disputed his account of the scale of the violence.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has visited Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank, meeting Palestinian Americans including relatives of US citizens killed by Israeli settlers.
Huckabee described the meeting as constructive and said it was in Israel’s interest to act against what he called criminal behaviour and terrorism. He characterised those responsible as a small group numbering a few hundred and said they were damaging Israel’s reputation.
Residents disputed that assessment. Yasser Alkam, a Palestinian American and municipality spokesperson, said thousands of settlers were involved in violence against Palestinians rather than hundreds. He also called for greater US pressure on Israel to arrest alleged perpetrators.
Huckabee said the US embassy could highlight issues and seek to influence the US government but had no authority to take direct action. Hadeel Jabara, whose US-citizen husband was killed by settlers in 2023, said she hoped Washington could help protect residents and expressed fear for her children.
Turmus Ayya has faced repeated settler attacks, according to France 24, and about 80 per cent of its Palestinian residents reportedly hold US citizenship. Settler violence in the West Bank has drawn international condemnation amid criticism that perpetrators are rarely arrested or prosecuted.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, while settlements there are considered illegal under international law. The Trump administration rescinded Biden-era sanctions on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals in January 2025.
