U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah on Saturday amid rising violence by extremist Israeli settlers and days after threatening graffiti aimed at him was sprayed during the vandalism of a mosque.
According to the town’s mayor, about 80% of Turmus Ayya’s roughly 3,000 residents are U.S. citizens.
Huckabee’s footage of the settlers arriving during his visit
During the visit, Huckabee pulled out his cellphone and filmed settlers who arrived in the area, later posting the footage on X.
“Visited Americans in Turmus Ayya and heard their disturbing stories of criminal and terrorist acts by a gang of trespassers who brazenly roam on property of lawful owners like these guys,” Huckabee wrote. “Shameful acts that do not represent 99% of Israelis.”
Two settlers reportedly arrived during the visit on an all-terrain vehicle and came within about 100 meters of where Huckabee was before leaving.
Huckabee called for violent settlers to face prosecution while stressing that they represent only a small minority of Israelis living in the West Bank. “Crime is crime, terrorism is terrorism. It doesn’t matter who does it. They have to be consequenced, and harshly,” he has said.
He also said violence against Palestinian U.S. citizens in Turmus Ayya amounted to terrorism and that Israel must ensure the security of Palestinians in the West Bank.
The delegation included U.S. Embassy personnel, including consular staff, as well as U.S. Gen. Sean Salene, who heads a security coordination mechanism involving Israel, the Palestinian Authority and partner countries aimed at reducing tensions in the area.
Huckabee also addressed recent proposals by senior Israeli ministers encouraging Palestinians to leave Gaza, rejecting the suggestion that Israel or the United States supports forced displacement.
“I can tell you categorically there is no plan of the Israelis to displace people out of Gaza against their will,” Huckabee told reporters.
He said Palestinians who wanted to leave should have the right to do so voluntarily, but rejected any suggestion that people would be removed by force.
(Photo: John Wessels / AFP)
“Nobody is suggesting there will be forced displacement,” Huckabee said. “The Israelis are not suggesting that. The Americans certainly are not. I don’t know anybody who is supporting that.”
His comments came after Defense Minister Israel Katz said there could be no solution for Gaza without migration and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir promoted a seven-year plan for what he calls voluntary emigration.
Earlier in the week, extremist settlers directed a message at Huckabee during the vandalism of a mosque in Bizzariya, northwest of Nablus. Graffiti sprayed at the site read, “Huckabee, greetings from the terrorists,” apparently referring to his increasingly sharp criticism of attacks on Palestinians.
Huckabee responded sarcastically: “At least they spelled my name right!” He also said it was “truly sad that someone would take pride in being a terrorist.”
'Huckabee, greetings from the terrorists'
The graffiti followed Huckabee’s condemnation of a recent attack in the Palestinian village of Qusra, where settlers surrounded Palestinian homes. He has described those responsible for such attacks as “Israeli terrorists” and said the violence damages Israel’s international standing.
“It’s not just damaging the reputation of all of the people, of the Israelis who legally, safely and quite frankly very responsibly live in Judea and Samaria, but it’s really damaging the image of Israel as a nation and a people,” Huckabee said in an interview Friday. “Israel needs to have all the friends it can get. It doesn’t need any more enemies.”
Israeli police and the Shin Bet domestic security agency are continuing to investigate the violence in Qusra last weekend, when dozens of Jewish extremists entered the village, barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home and attacked foreign journalists. Additional violence was reported in nearby Jalud.
Several suspects are known to Israeli security agencies and attempts have already been made to arrest some of them. Law enforcement officials expect further arrests, while security forces have confiscated three vehicles suspected of being used in the attacks.
First published: 16:25, 09.05.26