US Ambassador Denounces 'Jewish Violence' as Terrorism in West Bank Visit

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Arab village of Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, on September 5, 2026. The village is notable for its large population of U.S. citizens, estimated at around three thousand out of four thousand residents. During his visit, Ambassador Huckabee met with local leaders and American citizens who shared accounts of vandalism, threats, and violence allegedly perpetrated by Jewish individuals.

Huckabee, who generally supports Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria, stated that "a crime is a crime, and an act of terrorism is an act of terrorism." He emphasized that those committing such acts should face severe consequences and urged Israeli authorities to hold "aggressive Samaritan Jews" accountable under the law. The ambassador directly characterized the settler violence against U.S. citizens in Turmus Ayya as a form of terrorism.

He clarified that these aggressive actions are attributed to a minority within the Jewish community of Samaria and Judea, which numbers approximately 750,000 people. During the visit, Huckabee witnessed Jewish individuals driving mini-trucks through Arab agricultural lands, an act he described as disgraceful and not representative of the majority of Israelis.

This is not the first time Ambassador Huckabee has addressed Jewish attacks on Arabs in Samaria. He previously labeled Jewish individuals involved in a land seizure incident in the village of Kusra as terrorists. In response to these statements, graffiti reading "Huckabee, greetings from terrorists" appeared on a mosque in the village of Bazaria, near Shechem. Responding to this message, Huckabee remarked, "At least they spelled my name correctly, and more importantly, they acknowledged they are terrorists."