US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Palestinian residents in the occupied West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on September 5, 2025, to address rising settler violence. ^[1] US Ambassador Mike Huckabee stated categorically that there is no plan underway to force Palestinians out of Gaza, despite Israeli ministers laying out ideas on how to expel the territory's two million people. ^[2] US Ambassador Mike Huckabee stated on Saturday that the Israeli government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of Palestinians in the West Bank after a sharp rise in settler attacks. ^[3] Nawwaf Zaghoul, the mayor of Turmus Ayya, told reporters that residents face constant attacks by militant Israeli settlers and are unable to stop them from entering the town and damaging homes. ^[4] Settler violence in the West Bank has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government took office in late 2022. ^[5] US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister and longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, has called for violent settlers to be prosecuted while believing their actions represent a minority of the wider settler community, which numbers around 750,000. ^[6] Ambassador Mike Huckabee told reporters that people in Israeli communities have a right to live with a level of security and safety, and that the government has a responsibility to make sure that happens. ^[7] Settler violence in the West Bank has risen sharply since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, the most right-wing in Israel's history, took office in late 2022. ^[8]