Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya have witnessed a terrifying rise in attacks by Israeli settlers. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

No man's land in Turmus Ayya lies where the US flags end and the Israeli flags begin. It is a few hundred metres of soil scorched by molotov cocktails where Israeli settlers have placed a boulder to tell the Palestinian villagers: this is our land now.

On one side of that boulder are the white-stoned mansions where the Palestinian residents of Turmus Ayya live. About 80% of them are US citizens, members of the diaspora in New York, Chicago and Paterson, New Jersey, who return for the summers and bring their children here to experience Palestinian culture and learn Arabic. Many call themselves proud American patriots and fly the stars and stripes from their balconies.

On the other side is an illegal Israeli outpost of corrugated metal trailers and shacks staffed by young men who claim all of the West Bank as Jewish land.

The outposts radiate from Shilo, a hilltop settlement across the valley that has become a destination for Americans seeking Judaism's first religious and spiritual capital before the first temple was built. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, has visited Shilo, which the UN says is a violation of international law, twice in the last two years.

The irony is not lost on people here that the US has backed settlers claiming the West Bank as theirs, and that US dollars – through Jewish charities and the US budget to support the Israeli military – have helped finance the Israeli land grab. Given Shilo's close ties to the US, they muse that some of those attacking Turmus Ayya could be fellow Americans.

"Only in Palestine will you find American citizens invading American citizens for land," said Yaser Alkam, a semi-retired family law attorney from Turmus Ayya who for 35 years lived in Anaheim, California. He is now the head of this village's council. "There is no fight. One side attacks and the other side defends with the limited means that we have."

The violence is relentless. At night, settlers roam the village in off-road vehicles and intimidate people with gunshots, screaming and shining flashlights through the windows. In a recent attack against a family on the edge of the village, the settlers spray-painted the word "Revenge" on the side of the house.

Among those accused of violence and intimidation is Amishav Melet, whose brother was killed in a clash when settlers marched into another Palestinian village last week. He has publicly declared that he believes Jews should retake all of the West Bank. He has denied claims that he is connected to settler violence.

"I have his pictures," Alkam said of Melet. "And I'm sure he has my pictures and he has my name. He knows me and I know him … And he's probably waiting for the time to get me."

While the Trump administration is focused on Iran, Israel's accelerating land grab in the West Bank has found an enthusiastic supporter in Huckabee. The US ambassador is an evangelical Christian who has supported Jewish claims on the occupied land that settlers call Judea and Samaria.

Huckabee told residents in 2025: "President Trump loves this land. You are not alone. We stand with you, and so do many around the world. Those who do not stand with you do not stand with God."

When attacks take place, Alkam contacts Huckabee's embassy for protection. Sometimes, he said, US officials have helped, most recently in late July when the Israeli military occupied a house owned by a doctor from Syracuse, who had hosted the Democratic congressman Ro Khanna during his visit to Turmus Ayya earlier in the month. Alkam credited the US embassy with "playing a big role" in getting the military to leave, he said.

But nine Palestinian Americans have been killed in the West Bank since 2022 by either settlers or the Israeli military, and the US is often unable to help or to restrain the settlers or military during violent attacks. A year after a Palestinian American from Tampa Bay was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, settlers attacked his family members and friends, and even a CNN crew, who had gathered for a vigil.

In response to questions from the Guardian, the state department said all US citizens in the West Bank had access to consular services, condemned violence "by any party in the West Bank" and said it was in "regular dialogue with partners about improving stability and security".

"As the president has clearly stated, the United States does not support Israel annexing the West Bank," the spokesperson said. "A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region."

The moments when the US has intervened have only convinced Alkam that Washington could be doing more to restrain the settlers.