U.S. Ambassador Huckabee calls West Bank settler violence an "act of terror" on September 5

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called ongoing settler violence in the West Bank an "act of terror" during a visit to the village of Turmus Ayya on Saturday, September 5. The village has reported frequent settler attacks over the past year. Huckabee met with approximately 10 Palestinian American residents who described the impact of the violence on their lives and properties. He stated: "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. But it extends beyond a criminal act. It's an act of terror," according to CBS News. Huckabee added: "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. It's a life that is disturbed by people who have created extraordinary challenges that are unfair and illegal." He also stated: "We can tell our host government 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," per the Washington Examiner. The U.S. Embassy does not have authority to investigate criminal activity, per CBS News. Huckabee has previously spoken out against settler violence, including after Israeli settlers attacked a home in the West Bank village of Qusra owned by an American citizen last month, according to the Washington Examiner. Settler attacks against Palestinians exceeded 1,800 incidents in 2025, according to the United Nations, reported by the Washington Examiner. Attacks have surged since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, per CBS News. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities, a figure that includes those killed by Israeli settlers, the Washington Examiner reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the actions of a "handful of rioters" a week ago, with the foreign ministry calling the settlers' actions "a disgrace," per CBS News. The statement characterizes the violence as isolated rather than systemic. The Israeli government has built nearly 150 settlements home to well over 500,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, per CBS News. Israel captured the West Bank, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians seek for a future state. The U.N. and much of the international community consider the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem to be illegally occupied. Rights groups have said the Israeli military, which operates in all parts of the West Bank, frequently turns a blind eye to settler violence, per CBS News. Israel's defense minister recently announced plans to fully transfer law enforcement among settlers to the Israeli police. Two Palestinian teenagers, Omar al-Naasan and Khalil Abu Alia, were shot dead this week when settlers and soldiers entered the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir, south of Nablus, which has experienced near-daily attacks by Jewish settlers, per BBC reporting. Israel's military said it fired on "instigators of a violent riot" and that the incident is under review. The United Nations reported that more than 80 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory since the beginning of the year. Mohammed Al-Naasan, Omar's father, told the BBC: "We expect that when our sons walk in the street, they are likely to return to you injured or killed." The Bottom Line: The ambassador's explicit use of "terror" language on September 5 creates a diplomatic record, but Netanyahu's simultaneous characterization of violence as rare acts by a "handful" signals the Israeli government will not adopt the same framing. What Huckabee's office does with these findings in formal channels, and whether the Trump administration conditions any aid or pressure on investigation outcomes, remains unspecified.