US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned the blockade and encirclement of Palestinian homes by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, calling the actions “terrorism.” The comments were made on Thursday, according to a report published on August 13, 2026. Al Jazeera reported that extremist settlers had been blockading several Palestinian homes near Nablus since Sunday.

One of the blocked homes belongs to a US citizen. Affected families said they had been prevented from obtaining food and daily necessities and had been completely cut off from their surroundings. Responding on X to criticism over alleged US embassy inaction in protecting American citizens, Huckabee said efforts to intimidate and severely harass a family were abhorrent and that such bullying had no justification.

Huckabee said the Israeli government was working, following a US request, to remove what he called “Israeli terrorists” from the area. The report noted that Huckabee had previously supported Jewish settlements in the West Bank and rejected the idea of a Palestinian state. Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, settler attacks and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank have increased, the report said.

Israeli forces detained more than 120 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank over the past two days, according to Samidoun, a Palestinian prisoners’ rights organisation. In a report published on July 27, 2026, the group said raids were most intense in Nablus, Tulkarem and Hebron.

Samidoun said the operations followed an attack by Israeli settlers on land belonging to a Palestinian family. Four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed in that attack, the report said. It described the subsequent large-scale arrests of Palestinians by Israeli forces as retaliatory action.

The organisation said soldiers searched civilians’ homes and damaged household belongings in the targeted areas. It also alleged that detainees were subjected to physical abuse during field interrogations. Armed Israeli settlers, under military protection, took part in some raids, according to Samidoun. The group called the arrests and operations part of a policy of punishment and retaliation against Palestinians, and urged the United Nations, the Red Cross and international human rights organisations to ensure urgent security and protection for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.