Palestinian American residents of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank say Israeli settlers have intensified attacks on the village, with violence worsening over the past year. The latest accounts come after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the nearby settlement of Shilo and amid repeated appeals for protection from the US embassy.
About 80% of Turmus Ayya’s residents are US citizens, many from New York, Chicago and Paterson, New Jersey. Families who return for the summer to pass on Palestinian culture and Arabic now describe night-time gunfire, intimidation, arson and military raids, while residents say they must increasingly protect themselves.
Attacks have reshaped life in Turmus Ayya
Yaser Alkam, the village council head and a former family law attorney who lived in Anaheim, California, said settlers use off-road vehicles, gunshots, shouting and lights directed at homes to intimidate villagers. In one recent incident, the word “Revenge” was painted on a family’s house near the edge of the village.
Ghaith Odeh, who grew up in Queens and whose family lives in Paterson, said the violence began before the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023 but had become worse during the past year. He described part of his parents’ house being burned, six Israeli military raids on his home and a rifle being aimed at one of his six children.
The attacks have altered ordinary decisions in the village. Residents debate adding barbed wire or displaying more American flags to signal their connection to the United States. Odeh said his family uses shutters and that he did not want his children to learn to live in fear, while others worry about bringing children back for visits.
Settlements and US ties define the dispute
Turmus Ayya lies across a valley from Shilo, a hilltop Israeli settlement that has attracted Americans interested in its religious significance. An Israeli outpost of trailers and shacks stands closer to the village. The United Nations says Shilo violates international law, and Huckabee has visited it twice in the past two years.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, has publicly supported Jewish claims to the territory that settlers call Judea and Samaria. During a 2025 visit, he told residents that President Trump loved the land and that they were not alone. Alkam said the political message was difficult to reconcile with the attacks reported by Palestinian American families nearby.
The village council leader said US officials occasionally helped, including in late July when Israeli military personnel left a house owned by a doctor from Syracuse. But he said Washington had not restrained settlers or the Israeli military during many other incidents. Residents also point to US financial support for Israel and Jewish charities as part of the wider dispute over land and power.
US citizens report limited consular help
The US State Department said all American citizens in the West Bank could access consular services. It condemned violence “by any party in the West Bank” and said it was in regular discussions with partners about security and stability. The department also said the United States does not support Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Those assurances have not matched the experiences described by residents. Alkam said nine Palestinian Americans had been killed in the West Bank since 2022 by settlers or the Israeli military. Odeh said that, after contacting the embassy, he received standard instructions to report attacks to local law enforcement rather than direct protection.
Maisoon Ali, a 60-year-old retiree who spent decades in Vienna, Virginia, said settlers firebombed her home in nearby Deir Dibwan on 14 June, two days after Huckabee made a surprise visit to Shilo. She sheltered behind metal shutters as furniture and the building’s exterior caught fire, later surrounding the property with fences and abandoning regular trips to Ramallah.
Israeli prosecutors say six settlers have been charged with terrorism, arson, sabotage and violent rioting in Deir Dibwan, although a gag order has limited details and it is unclear whether the cases concern the attack on Ali’s home. She said she has not been contacted by the US embassy. Alkam said he had asked Huckabee at least four times to visit Turmus Ayya, but had received no visit, leaving protection and accountability unresolved.
Also read: Palestinians in At-Tuwani Stand Firm Amid Violent Settler Attacks and Displacement Efforts.
More context: Israeli Attacks in Gaza Result in Palestinian Death and Mosque Destruction.
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