U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah on Saturday amid growing concern over violence by extremist Israeli settlers and after threatening messages were directed at him in graffiti 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.
During the visit, Huckabee called for violent settlers to be prosecuted while stressing that they represent only a small minority of the Jewish population 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 said. Huckabee also said violence targeting Palestinian U.S. citizens in Turmus Ayya amounted to terrorism and that Israel had an obligation to ensure the safety of Palestinians in the West Bank.
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Huckabee visits Palestinian village after mosque vandalized by settlers
(Photo: John Wessels / AFP)
Palestinian media reported that two settlers arrived in the village during Huckabee’s visit on an all-terrain vehicle and came within about 100 meters of the location where the ambassador was staying before leaving. The visit also 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 statements by senior Israeli officials about Palestinian migration from Gaza, saying there was no plan to force Gazans to leave against their will. “I can tell you unequivocally that there is no plan by the Israelis to displace people from Gaza against their will,” he said. He added that people who wished to leave voluntarily should be allowed to do so.
(Photo: John Wessels / AFP)
Asked about comments by Defense Minister Israel Katz that there could be no solution for Gaza without migration, as well as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s proposal for what he has described as voluntary migration, Huckabee said: “Nobody is suggesting there will be forced displacement. Not the Israelis, certainly not the Americans. I don’t know anyone who supports that.”
Earlier in the week, extremist settlers directed a message at Huckabee during the vandalism of a mosque in the village of Bizzariya, northwest of Nablus. Graffiti sprayed on the building read, “Huckabee, greetings from the terrorists,” apparently referring to the ambassador’s sharp condemnation of recent settler violence against Palestinians.
Huckabee responded with sarcasm: “At least they spelled my name right!” He has increasingly used the term “unsettlers” for extremists involved in such attacks, distinguishing them from the broader settler population.
'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 described the violence as a “horrific act of terror” and referred to those responsible as “Israeli terrorists.”
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 also 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 additional arrests in the coming period. Security forces also confiscated three vehicles suspected of having been used by those involved in the attacks.