A Jewish resident of the Shiloh area who was filmed by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee during his visit to the Arab village of Turmus Ayya has identified himself as the driver of the security vehicle and disputed the way the encounter was portrayed, saying he had gone to the area in response to a security alert.
“Dear Mike Huckabee,” Amishav Melet wrote in an X post published after Shabbos. “Well, that was me. I was the driver of the Ranger you filmed.”
Melet said the incident began when a shepherd reported that dozens of vehicles had gathered near the outskirts of Turmus Ayya, in an area where, according to Melet, Jewish residents have faced repeated attacks and incidents of arson in recent months.
According to Melet, he got into the community’s security Ranger to investigate the gathering while simultaneously notifying the IDF in accordance with established security procedures.
“When we arrived and saw respectable people and media crews, we said hello and continued on our way,” he wrote. “Shortly afterward, the army informed us that this was a proper, coordinated visit.”
“That is the entire story,” Melet added. “And yet, within minutes, we were portrayed in the media as ‘dangerous settlers.’”
Melet went on to argue that Huckabee had not been presented with the full picture of events in and around Turmus Ayya. He leveled a series of allegations against local officials, educators and other residents, claiming that some have been connected to terrorism, anti-Israel incitement or violence.
He further alleged that monuments honoring terrorists can be found in the village and claimed that Israelis have been targeted in hundreds of incidents in the area over the past year, including stone-throwing attacks, arson, shootings and physical assaults.
Melet also challenged video footage that was shown to Huckabee during his visit, contending that clips presented by local ambulance personnel had been edited in a manner that removed important context.
In one such case, Melet claimed that an ambulance had blocked an IDF vehicle while soldiers were being targeted with stones. According to his account, the soldiers eventually attempted to leave the scene and struck the edge of the ambulance as they maneuvered their vehicle out of the area.
“I ask you to watch the full footage, rather than edited clips,” Melet wrote. “When you cut out the beginning of an incident, you can make almost any story look completely different.”
Melet concluded his response by noting the personal toll terrorism has taken on his own family.
“I am a bereaved brother.”
