During a visit to the occupied West Bank on Saturday, United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee strongly condemned violent Israeli settlers, labeling their actions "acts of terror" and referring to them directly as "terrorists." The designation marks a notable departure in terminology, as American officials typically reserve the term for Palestinian militants.
Speaking in the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, which has faced repeated settler attacks over the past year, Huckabee did not mince words. "If there are squatters that come in and put up their own flags and take possession of something that does not belong to them, if they burn a car, if they torch a mosque, if they go into someone’s home and vandalize it, paint graffiti on the walls, that’s a criminal act," Huckabee stated. "But it extends beyond a criminal act. It’s an act of terror."
The ambassador's visit comes amid a sharp rise in settler violence across the West Bank, which has escalated significantly since the start of the Gaza war triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to United Nations humanitarian data.
Huckabee had previously used the term "terrorists" to describe violent settlers last month following weeks of unrest in the town of Qusra. In that incident, settlers surrounded multiple homes, including one belonging to a Palestinian American. Days afterward, in the village of Bazariya, residents reported that settlers had set fire to a local mosque and spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on a wall reading, "Huckabee regards from the terrorists."
Responding to the graffiti on Saturday, Huckabee remarked, "I’m glad they admitted it." He added, "I don’t think that’s what they intended to do, but I do think that they represent a very tiny minority."
The actions of these settlers have also drawn criticism from within Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently condemned what he described as a "handful of rioters," while the Israeli foreign ministry labeled the settlers' actions "a disgrace." Netanyahu's coalition is recognized as the most ultranationalist and religious administration in Israel's history, presiding over a major expansion of West Bank settlements, which the majority of the international community considers illegal.
During his stop in Turmus Ayya, Huckabee directed his initial comments to the U.S. citizens living there. While Palestinian Americans make up a small fraction of the estimated 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, they constitute a significant portion of Turmus Ayya’s population.
"I’m very aware that a lot of the American people who live in Turmus Ayya and other communities across this region are not enjoying the life they deserve to live, not enjoying it in a peaceful way," Huckabee told the residents. "It’s a life that is disturbed by people who have created extraordinary challenges that are unfair and illegal."
According to local municipal officials, Huckabee met with approximately 10 Palestinian American residents who recounted how the persistent violence has disrupted their lives and damaged their properties. While Huckabee noted that the U.S. Embassy does not have the authority to investigate criminal acts directly, he emphasized that it can pressure the Israeli government to act.
"There are needs that need to be addressed, there are issues that cannot go unnoticed, and specific crimes and acts of terror that cannot continue without that country doing the investigation and adjudication that every person has a right to expect," the ambassador said.
Israel seized the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians claim these territories for a future independent state, and the United Nations alongside most of the international community views them as illegally occupied. Since 1967, Israel has established nearly 150 settlements in the West Bank, which are now home to more than 500,000 Jewish settlers.
Although the Israeli military maintains a presence throughout the West Bank, human rights organizations have repeatedly accused soldiers of ignoring settler attacks. In response to growing domestic and international pressure, Israel’s defense minister recently announced a plan to fully transfer law enforcement responsibilities regarding settlers to the Israeli police force.
