Huckabee calls settler violence 'terrorism' but notes attacks come from 'small number of thugs’

Following several episodes of violent clashes between Jews and Arabs in Judea and Samaria in recent weeks, including incidents initiated by radical young settlers from the Hilltop Youth movement, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned the phenomenon as "terrorism."

Meanwhile, several U.S. officials have begun to call on the administration of President Donald Trump to take action.  

Two pro-Israel Democratic congressmen wrote a letter to President Trump on Wednesday, asking him to put pressure on the Israeli government to do more to halt the phenomenon. 

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) asked President Trump to reimpose sanctions against individuals involved in settler attacks, which were first imposed by the Biden administration, arguing that the violence endangers the ceasefire in Gaza. 

“The Netanyahu government’s lack of action to address extreme settler violence emboldens Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups, and builds resentment in the West Bank, while putting increased pressure on the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza that your Administration secured,” the two lawmakers said.

“More must be done to stop settler violence and ensure that those who perpetrate acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank are not allowed to operate with impunity.” 

“This vigilante violence is not isolated. It is systemic and aims to impede a viable two-state solution,” the letter said. “It is consistent with broader systemic efforts to approve illegal expansion of settlements, demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures, and annexation of the West Bank, including Prime Minister Netanyahu’s most recent actions regarding the controversial E1 settlement project.” 

Both congressmen had written a similar letter to Biden, and were in Israel during the deadly Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. The two also affirmed that they “steadfastly support the special U.S.-Israel relationship and a secure and just future for both Israelis and Palestinians.” 

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also addressed the dramatic increase in violent incidents in Judea and Samaria during a recent interview with NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas. 

“There's been a wave of attacks, really bad attacks by right-wing settlers in Israel, roving gangs of masked men and boys, rampaging through Palestinian villages in the West Bank, beating up people, setting fire to a mosque, even attacking the IDF when it tries to stop them. This has been going on for some time and seems to be escalating,” Vargas said to Huckabee, asking him to comment on the situation. 

“I think there is an escalation,” Huckabee admitted. “Let's be real clear that most of these acts on the part of Israeli attackers who are committing acts of terrorism, and let's just be blunt, that's what it is. Israelis can carry out terrorism as well.” 

Huckabee’s comment about Israeli terrorism appears to be aimed at Israeli politicians such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom have denied the possibility of Jewish terrorism. 

“But most of these people are not actual settlers who live there,” Huckabee claimed. “There may be some, but this is a very small number, mostly of youth, angry and disaffected. These are thugs.” 

I still maintain that this is a small minority among the 500k Israelis living in Judea and Samaria and the attention is disproportionate. But this small minority is emboldened by the impunity they seem to enjoy and it's shameful that the authorities are not doing more to stop it.… https://t.co/LxCoOmeOLg

— Lahav Harkov 🎗️ (@LahavHarkov) November 12, 2025

Huckabee then repeated the claim that many are not residents of the territories, saying, “Many of them don't live even in Judea and Samaria. They come into there to create havoc.” 

While there have been documented instances of Jews coming from inside the Green Line [the pre-1967 borders], many of the Hilltop Youth do live in settlements inside Judea and Samaria, often in settlements established without legal approval. 

Huckabee also drew attention to an often overlooked aspect of the settler violence, that sometimes the settler violence is a response to Palestinian attacks against Jews and Jewish settlements. 

“In addition, you have a number of attacks of Palestinians toward Israelis. You had a situation where there were a couple of Palestinian terrorists who used their car to try to ram Israelis, killed one,” Huckabee noted, referring to the recent ramming and stabbing attack in the Hebron area. 

Huckabee repeated recent statements by Israeli government officials, calling for legal consequences for those committing violent acts. 

Commander of Central Command, MG Avi Bluth on upsurge in settler violence in occupied West Bank: ‘The reality in which anarchist fringe youth act violently against innocent civilians & against security forces is unacceptable and is extremely serious. It must be dealt with firmly’ pic.twitter.com/jJXgmRwZsJ

— sebastian usher (@sebusher) November 12, 2025

“But there has been every attempt on the part, I will say, even of the Israelis, to say that those who are committing acts of terror, even if they're Israelis, they're going to feel the full force of the law,” he stated. “The only way to bring some settlement is to have equal justice. Crime is crime. Terrorism is terrorism.”

When Vargas attempted to link the violence to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Huckabee pushed back, saying, “I think we have to recognize the Israeli people are about as divided regarding the Prime Minister as the American public is about the President.” 

“In Israel, you'll find people who will blame the Prime Minister for any and everything they don't like,” Huckabee noted.

“These are acts of people who are acting outside the law, and they're committing terror, they're committing acts of crime.” 

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