US Envoy Calls Violent Israeli Settlers 'Terrorists' During West Bank Visit

US Ambassador to West Jerusalem Mike Huckabee has called violent Israeli settlers terrorists who must be held accountable for targeting Palestinians.

Huckabee visited the town of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah on Saturday, meeting with Palestinian American residents. He stated that acts like burning cars, torching mosques, vandalizing homes, and painting graffiti are criminal acts that extend to acts of terror. Huckabee stressed that the Israeli government must provide security to Palestinians in the West Bank and ensure severe consequences for attackers.

He said these actions damage Israel's reputation, noting that a few hundred settlers are responsible. The UN relief agency OCHA reported an average of six settler violence incidents daily in the occupied West Bank during the first half of 2026, displacing over 2,300 Palestinians, including more than 1,000 children. Huckabee's use of the term terrorists is typically reserved for Palestinian militants by US officials.

Settlers in Bazariya reportedly burned a mosque and left graffiti reading "Huckabee regards from the terrorists" in Hebrew, which Huckabee said meant they admitted it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the actions of a handful of rioters a week ago, and the foreign ministry called the settlers' actions a disgrace. Netanyahu's government is described as the most ultranationalist and religious in Israel's history, presiding over a surge of settlement construction.

Huckabee also addressed proposals by Israeli ministers for the mass removal of Palestinians from Gaza, stating there is no plan of the Israelis to displace people out of Gaza against their will. Defense Minister Israel Katz said there was no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration, and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir outlined a seven-year plan for voluntary emigration.