SAFA — A heated public dispute has erupted between American media personality Tucker Carlson and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee over a brutal Israeli settler attack on an elderly Palestinian-American man in Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Carlson accused Huckabee of ignoring desperate appeals for help from the victim's family, calling the US Embassy's failure to protect an American citizen disgraceful and demanding that the ambassador fulfill his responsibilities toward a citizen severely beaten by Israeli settlers.

Brutal Attack Sparks Public Confrontation

The dispute began after Carlson released footage showing masked Israeli settlers armed with clubs brutally beating the elderly Palestinian man in an attack that nearly cost him his life. The assailants also completely burned his family's vehicle.

The footage quickly went viral, surpassing five million views on social media and triggering widespread shock and outrage.

Many viewers criticized what they described as the inadequate response of US authorities to an attack on one of their own citizens.

Huckabee Defends Embassy's Response

Huckabee rejected Carlson's accusations as baseless, accusing the media personality of rushing to judgment instead of establishing the facts.

The ambassador published a detailed timeline of what he described as efforts by the US Embassy's American Citizen Services section in occupied Jerusalem to follow up on the case.

According to Huckabee, embassy staff were unable to communicate directly with the injured man and had contact only with his son, who lives in Chicago.

He maintained that embassy officials repeatedly requested direct contact information for the victim or relatives living in the occupied West Bank but were unable to obtain it.

Embassy Timeline: Repeated Attempts to Reach Victim

According to the timeline released by Huckabee, the embassy first learned of the case on October 19, when the victim's son emailed officials to report that his father had been taken to the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah.

Huckabee said the embassy requested the father's contact information that same day, but the son declined to provide it at that stage.

On October 20, embassy officials continued sending emails and making repeated phone calls to the son. They also said they attempted to contact the hospital in Ramallah to reach the injured man, without success.

On October 21, the son informed the embassy that his father was undergoing surgery for injuries sustained in the attack. The embassy said it had still not received the contact details the son had promised to provide for relatives in the West Bank.

Huckabee added that officials received medical reports and photographs documenting the severity of the man's injuries on October 22. According to the ambassador, the son thanked embassy staff for their efforts during that period.

Nevertheless, Huckabee maintained that the absence of local telephone numbers prevented officials from establishing direct contact with the victim.

He said the embassy made further unsuccessful attempts to reach the man at the hospital on October 23 and tried contacting his son again on October 26.

Huckabee demanded that Carlson apologize and acknowledge what the ambassador described as documented facts concerning the embassy's response.

Dispute Raises Questions About Protection of US Citizens

The confrontation divided public opinion.

Some supported Carlson, arguing that the incident reflected a broader imbalance in US diplomacy toward Israel, with political support for the Israeli occupation taking precedence over protecting American citizens.

Others accepted Huckabee's account that embassy officials had repeatedly attempted to follow up on the case but encountered difficulties contacting the victim directly.

The dispute has renewed scrutiny of Washington's response to Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank and the extent to which American diplomatic institutions intervene when US citizens are among the victims.

The attack comes amid escalating Israeli settler assaults across the occupied West Bank, affecting Palestinian communities as well as foreign nationals.

Palestinian officials have repeatedly accused Israeli occupation forces of protecting settlers during attacks on residents and their property.

The public clash between Carlson and Huckabee has highlighted questions about the gap between Washington's stated commitment to protecting Americans abroad and the dangers faced by Palestinians, including those holding US citizenship, amid repeated settler attacks in the occupied Palestinian territories.