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Amichav Melat claimed to be the man in the ATV that provoked Mike Huckabee in Turmus Ayya

Original Social Media Post

"Dear Mike Huckabee, Now that Shabbat has ended, I saw your post and the alerts across the news channels about your visit today to Turmus Ayya — and about those “dangerous and threatening settlers” whom you apparently saw driving a security Ranger. *Well, that was me. I was the driver of the Ranger you filmed.* And I want you to hear directly from me what actually happened today. This morning, our shepherd, who was out with the flock, reported that dozens of vehicles had gathered at the edge of the village — precisely in an area from which, over the past several months, there have been repeated attacks and arson incidents against us. I got into our security Ranger to check what was happening, and at the same time we notified the IDF as per protocol. When we arrived and saw respectable people and media crews, we said hello and continued on our way. Shortly afterward, the army informed us that this was a proper, coordinated visit. That is the entire story. And yet, within minutes, we were portrayed in the media as “dangerous settlers.” Amabssador Huckabee, I will respectfully relate some facts to you that they surely didn’t share with you today. For example: 1. Until recently, the head of the Turmus Ayya municipality was *Lafi Shalabi*, who was a partner in assisting in the murder of the youth Yehuda Guetta, of blessed memory. While he was in prison, the village chose him to head the municipality — as a sign of honor for his actions. 2. A member of the Turmus Ayya municipal council, *Abu Samra*, with whom you were photographed today in warm handshakes, is a released terrorist, who is photographed with weapons and published incitement to murder and attacks; in his view, Jews as well as Americans are the enemy. He also led the opposition in the village to the hanging of American flags on the houses, and following the struggle, the flags were removed from the Turmus Ayya municipal building. Only in recent years, Abu Samra was personally involved in several cases of attacks and looting of Jews and their property in the Shiloh area settlements. 3. Throughout the village there are dozens of monuments glorifying terrorists and terrorism, alongside a map of the State of Israel painted in the colors of Palestine, which testifies to their true intentions. 4. *Abla al-Kuk*, the manager of the girls’ high school who was photographed with you today, has for years been involved in educating generations of students with messages of incitement, encouragement and glorification of terrorism. She also personally participated in and led violent riots against settlers and security forces. 5. In the past year alone, hundreds of incidents of attacks have occurred, including stone throwing, arson, lynchings and shooting, by Arabs from the village against shepherds, farmers, innocent Jewish travelers who had just returned home, as well as against army forces. 6. You also met with the wife of the “martyr” *Omar al-Katin*, who was killed after attempting to harm police officers, and with additional representatives of families of those who attempted to harm soldiers and innocent civilians. 7. We also saw how the ambulance drivers in Turmus Ayya showed you videos that were edited and cut in a biased manner. In the incident in question, the ambulance deliberately blocked an army jeep while hundreds of Arabs pelted it with stones. When the soldiers had no choice and were forced to get out of the area in order to protect their lives, they lightly struck the edge of the ambulance in order to extricate themselves. They also did not tell you that the entire incident was an attempt to run toward the Israeli communities. You also saw videos presented to you today by ambulance drivers from the village. I ask you to watch the full footage, rather than edited clips. When you cut out the beginning of an incident, you can make almost any story look completely different. I am a bereaved brother. >>>>" - Source

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Event Notes

Recurring pogroms and settler attacks in Turmus Ayya

On June 26, 2025

Israelis settlers attacked Palestinians. Earlier in the day, in the nearby village of Kfer Malik, Palestinians held the funeral for three Palestinians killed the night before by Israeli settler forces during another attack by Israelis.

Clashes erupted when Israeli settlers tried to set fire to crop and houses and attacked the town. US-Palestinian residents defended themselves with rocks. One Palestinian was wounded.

An Israeli settler driver blocked an ambulance from reaching the Palestinians.

On June 24, 2025

On the morning, Israeli settler militias uprooted scores of olive trees on the outskirts of the town.

On Monday evening, January 6, 2025, Israeli settlers set ablaze property across the occupied West Bank in the latest rampage against Palestinian towns and villages. A farmhouse was burned.

They set fire an agricultural room belonging to one of the residents in the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah.

A lot of attacks and raids have taken place in the Qalqilya area, with pogroms in several villages. The large-scale attacks followed a shooting in the village of Al-Funduq, where attackers targeted a bus and two cars on a road frequently used by settlers traveling to the illegal settlements of Kedumim, Shavei Shomron, and others.

Incitement by Israeli governement members

The attacks came amid increasing incitement of violence against Palestinians by far-right Israeli politicians following the Monday shooting, with Palestinians being labelled as "terrorists."

  • Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X : "Those who trust the Palestinian Authority to maintain the security of Israeli citizens wake up to a morning when terrorists are again slaughtering Jewish residents,"He added that the occupied West Bank must end up looking like north Gaza's Jabalia, which has been decimated following Israel's implementation of the "Generals' Plan" to ethnically cleanse the area.

  • The National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted on X that Israelis should realise that there are no commonalities with Palestinians : "Whoever strives for an end to the war in Gaza will receive a war in Judea and Samaria".

On January 11,2025 3 Palestinians were injured by a group of 30 to 40 armed Israeli settlers who descended upon the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya. TheY set fire to two cars and assaulted three Palestinians, injuring them. Turmus Ayya's mayor, Lafi Shalabi, confirmed the attack to Anadolu, noting the settlers were illegally present in the village. He said the villagers confronted the settlers before the Israeli army's intervention.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Sources : 1

People in Video

Mike Huckabee - Amishav Mellet