U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday visited Turmus Ayya, a Palestinian town near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid growing concerns over attacks by Israeli settlers.
Huckabee met Palestinian residents, including families of U.S. citizens who were killed in attacks by Israeli settlers, according to Reuters.
Turmus Ayya has been repeatedly targeted by settlers, with residents saying harassment and attacks have become increasingly common. The town's mayor, Nawwaf Zaghoul, said residents hoped Huckabee would help address their security concerns and curb what he described as lawless settlers.
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Around 80% of Turmus Ayya's nearly 3,000 residents are Palestinian Americans, according to the mayor.
Settler violence in the West Bank has risen sharply since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government took office in late 2022. Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians are rarely prosecuted, Reuters reported.
Huckabee, a Baptist minister and longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, has nevertheless called for violent settlers to be prosecuted. He has said such individuals represent a minority of the wider settler community, which numbers around 750,000.
The ambassador's visit comes as Israel's government continues to expand settlements across the West Bank, deepening Israeli control over territory Palestinians seek for a future state.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law by the United Nations and most countries. Israel disputes this position and describes the territory as disputed rather than occupied.
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Huckabee has referred to the West Bank by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria, a term used by the Israeli government but not by the U.S. government.
Reuters reported that Huckabee had previously visited Taybeh, one of the few remaining Christian villages in the West Bank, in June 2025 after a church there was vandalised. At the time, he described the incident as an act of terror and a crime.
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