Turmus Ayya, a village in the West Bank, is experiencing heightened tensions between its predominantly Palestinian American residents and nearby Israeli settlers. Approximately 80% of the village’s population holds US citizenship, with many maintaining homes there while spending significant time in American cities including New York, Chicago, and New Jersey. These residents often describe themselves as patriotic Americans who return seasonally to connect their children with Palestinian culture and language.
The village sits near Shilo, an Israeli settlement that has become a destination for Americans seeking connections to Jewish heritage. An illegal Israeli outpost has been established nearby, and settlers have increasingly engaged in violent activities including nighttime intimidation, gunfire, and property destruction. Residents report regular attacks, with spray-painted threats and firebomb attempts documented. At least nine Palestinian Americans have been killed in the West Bank since 2022 by either settlers or the Israeli military.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has visited Shilo twice in recent years, signaling support for the settlement, but has not engaged with the Palestinian American community in Turmus Ayya despite multiple requests for visits. When residents contact the US embassy about attacks, they report receiving limited assistance, with officials often directing them to report incidents to local authorities. One resident described receiving a message that “it’s OK for an Israeli American to live over here, but not for an American Palestinian.”
The violence has fundamentally altered life in the village. Residents have installed metal shutters, barbed-wire fences, and other security measures, with some describing their homes as prisons. One 60-year-old retiree from Virginia, whose father built the house with bulletproof glass decades earlier, has become isolated from her community, unable to maintain her previous routine of visiting friends or local facilities. Many families fear bringing their children to the village during summer visits.
US State Department officials have stated that the administration does not support Israeli annexation of the West Bank and has condemned violence by any party, while maintaining it is in regular dialogue with partners about security and stability. However, village leaders note that the administration removed violent settlers from sanctions lists established under the previous administration, suggesting diminished commitment to restraining settler actions.
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