During a visit to the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on September 5, 2026, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee categorically denied that either Israel or the US has plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza. His comments directly counter recent proposals by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir advocating for the mass migration of Gaza's two million residents. Huckabee also strongly condemned West Bank settler violence, labeling it as acts of terror.
Huckabee condemns settler violence
- ▪US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated that it is in the Israeli government's interest to take action against violent settlers, whom he described as a "tiny group of little marauders" numbering a few hundred.
- ▪US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned Israeli settler violence in the West Bank as an "act of terror" and labeled violent settlers as "terrorists" during his visit to Turmus Ayya on September 5, 2026.
Israeli Gaza displacement proposals
- ▪Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated on September 2, 2026, that there is "no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration" and that Israel is prepared to facilitate departures by land and sea.
- ▪US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated on September 5, 2026, that there is no plan by Israel or the United States to forcibly displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip against their will.
US voluntary emigration position
- ▪US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated that the United States supports the right of Palestinians to leave Gaza voluntarily if they wish to do so, calling it a "disgrace" to incarcerate them.
- ▪US President Donald Trump proposed early in his second term to temporarily displace all Palestinians from Gaza to develop the territory into a luxury resort, but backtracked after pushback from Egypt.
Turmus Ayya settler attacks
- ▪At least six Palestinian Americans have been killed in the West Bank by either the Israeli military or settlers since 2024.
- ▪About 80% of the residents in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya hold US citizenship, according to Mayor Nawwaf Zaghoul.
Ben-Gvir seven-year plan
- ▪Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem condemned the population-removal proposals by Israeli ministers, calling them a "dangerous development" and urging Arab and Muslim nations to prevent their implementation.
- ▪Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir outlined a seven-year proposal to facilitate the departure of 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza in the first year and the remaining population over the following six years.
Debatable claims
- ▪The US should pressure Israel to arrest violent West Bank settlers
- ▪Israel should facilitate the voluntary emigration of Palestinians from Gaza
- ▪Violent settlers represent only a tiny minority of the West Bank settler community
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