Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya, a village in the West Bank where approximately 80% of residents hold US citizenship, have increasingly experienced violence from Israeli settlers in recent years. Many of these residents are members of the diaspora community from cities including New York, Chicago, and New Jersey who maintain homes in the village and return seasonally. The settlers have established an illegal outpost near Turmus Ayya and claim jurisdiction over the surrounding territory.
Village council head Yaser Alkam, a retired family law attorney who previously lived in California for 35 years, describes the situation as one-sided attacks against residents with limited defensive capacity. Nighttime incidents involve settlers using off-road vehicles, firing weapons, and directing intimidation tactics at residents. The violence has included spray-painted threats on homes and attacks on individuals gathered for commemorative events.
The Trump administration, under the direction of Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, has taken positions supporting Israeli settler claims in the West Bank. Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, has visited settlements and made public statements expressing support for Jewish presence in the territory, which the UN characterizes as violating international law. Some residents note the irony that the US, through military aid and charitable organizations, has financially supported Israeli expansion efforts while American citizens in Turmus Ayya face attacks from fellow Americans living in settler communities.
According to available reports, nine Palestinian Americans have been killed in the West Bank since 2022 by either settlers or Israeli military forces. While the US embassy has occasionally provided assistance during specific incidents, residents indicate that protection remains inconsistent and insufficient. The State Department has stated its opposition to Israeli annexation of the West Bank and said it maintains dialogue regarding stability and security in the region. Residents have expressed disappointment that the current administration recently removed violent settlers from sanctions lists previously established under the Biden administration, viewing this as a retreat from earlier efforts to constrain settler actions.
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