US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for severe consequences against violent settlers in the West Bank during a visit to the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya on Saturday.

Huckabee met with families of Palestinian Americans killed in recent attacks as he addressed reporters in the Ramallah-area town, which has a large number of US citizens and has faced repeated settler incidents. "Our clear message is that crime is crime, terror is terror. When people do it, they should have an expectation that they will have severe consequences," Huckabee said.

He stressed that the Israeli government bears responsibility for ensuring the safety of Palestinians in the area. "One of the messages that we have been sending and we will continue to send is that people in these communities have a right to live with a level of security and safety, and that the government has a responsibility to make sure that that happens," the ambassador added.

Huckabee noted that the violence stems from a small minority. "There may be a few hundred who are responsible, but that’s a few hundred too many," he said, adding that such actions harm Israel’s reputation and that it is in the country’s best interest to address the issue.

Reports indicate a surge in settler attacks in recent months, with incidents including the torching of Palestinian fields and assaults on convoys. The town of roughly 3,000 residents, about 80 percent of whom are Palestinian Americans, has seen repeated harassment and property damage.

Huckabee, a longtime supporter of Israel, has previously described the perpetrators as a tiny group of marauders not representative of the broader settler community. The visit comes amid ongoing tensions in the West Bank following years of violence on multiple sides.