US envoy Huckabee urges Israel to protect West Bank Palestinians amid settler violence

September 5, 2026 at 05:04 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Palestinian officials and residents in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, including Palestinian Americans affected by settler violence. He said the Israeli government has a responsibility to ensure their safety. The visit came amid a sharp rise in settler attacks.

Key Facts

Huckabee met with local officials and residents in the occupied West Bank, including Palestinian Americans from Turmus Aya who have experienced settler violence.
Huckabee said the Israeli government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Huckabee labeled some settlers committing violence as 'terrorists' and said they should face severe consequences.
US-Palestinian Ruwan Alqam, who moved to Turmus Aya from Texas four months ago, said her family faces roadblocks and settler attacks, including a rock attack on their car.

Huckabee's West Bank Visit

Huckabee met with several local officials and residents in the occupied West Bank, including Palestinian Americans attacked in violent Israeli settler pogroms. The diplomat said on Saturday that the Israeli government has a 'responsibility' to ensure the safety of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank after a sharp rise in pogroms. Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Turmus Aya, said Huckabee met not only local officials but also Palestinian Americans who live in the village and have seen firsthand the effects of settler violence. Ibrahim noted that settlers in the area wrote slogans not just against Palestinians, but also against Huckabee.

Palestinian American Testimony

One person Huckabee met was US-Palestinian Ruwan Alqam, who relocated to Turmus Aya from Texas with her family four months ago. Alqam said that every time her family leaves their occupied West Bank home, they are hit with roadblock after roadblock and settlers after settlers. On a recent day trip to Nablus, the family was unable to return home as Israeli settlers attacked their car with rocks, Alqam said. Alqam described the violence as 'not a minority' among Israelis and said settlers are not being held accountable for their actions. Huckabee was 'very receptive' to the experiences of Turmus Aya residents, Alqam said, adding: 'We are in desperate need of attention here.'

US Message on Settler Violence

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Huckabee said: 'Our clear message is that crime is crime, terror is terror. When people do it, they should have an expectation that they will have severe consequences.' Huckabee told reporters that people in these communities have a right to live with a level of security and safety, and that the government has a responsibility to make sure that happens. The ambassador labeled some of the settlers committing violence as 'terrorists', though analysts say his visit is 'symbolic'.