Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel and an evangelical Christian pastor, publicly denounced a settler blockade of Palestinian homes near Nablus that began August 9, 2026, including one owned by a U.S. citizen. Israel removed a tent from the site on August 12 and announced deployment of an additional battalion after a U.S. request. Violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has risen since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.