Huckabee held rare meet with PA official in Ramallah to discuss West Bank tensions, officials reveal to ToI

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee held a rare meeting with Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Ramallah on Wednesday to discuss ongoing tensions in the West Bank, a US official and a PA official reveal to The Times of Israel.

It was just the second known meeting between the pair since the start of US President Donald Trump’s administration and came amid another largely unchecked wave of settler violence and IDF counter-terror operations that have the territory on edge.

The US has privately been urging Israel to respond more aggressively to settler violence, but with limited success, the US official says.

Huckabee and Sheikh also discussed the continued Israeli withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, which have severely hampered Ramallah’s ability to operate because they make up the majority of its budget, the PA official says.

Earlier this year, Huckabee said he had been working to convince Israel to release the funds, but that the effort was derailed by PA-backed decisions from Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has been withholding the monthly payments — which have accumulated to several billion dollars — in protest of Ramallah’s policies.

Sheikh also requested the assistance of Huckabee — an ordained Southern Baptist minister — in convincing Israel to grant entry permits for Palestinian Christians to visit Jerusalem on Christmas and ensure freedom of movement to reach Bethlehem amid the uptick in Israeli checkpoints across the West Bank.

The pair agreed to have their aides hold a follow-up meeting next month, the US official says.

A US Embassy in Jerusalem spokesperson subsequently tells The Times of Israel that “Ambassador Huckabee had a very cordial and productive meeting with the vice president that covered a myriad of issues. He will continue to have conversations with officials in Ramallah and believes that ongoing dialogue is vital to everyone. The ambassador feels there is much to be gained by continuing to develop the relationships there and to have frank conversations about the many challenges faced in the region.”

Sheikh’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

The US ambassador to Israel historically has not been in charge of maintaining ties to the PA — something that had been under the purview of the US Consulate in Jerusalem. But US President Donald Trump closed that de facto mission to the Palestinians in his first term. The PA refused to engage with Trump’s first ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, arguing that doing so would legitimize the apparent downgrade of US-PA ties to a file within Washington’s relations with Israel.

But Ramallah has compromised in its approach to dealing with the US during Trump’s second term, after they cut ties completely early on his first term.

We sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem" in church this morning & in afternoon @janethuckabee & I went to actual Bethlehem & visited the beautifully decorated Manger Square, Church of Nativity, & stunning Christmas tree. Cordial welcome by people there. Special time to go there! pic.twitter.com/PMUBDQG5f7

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) December 14, 2025

Washington largely avoided engaging with the PA in the months following Trump’s return to office, addressing the Palestinian issue largely through the Gaza lens.

But recent months have given way to a shift, as the US has sought the PA’s assistance in advancing its Gaza peace plan, even if it doesn’t want Ramallah involved initially at Israel’s insistence.

Washington sought the PA’s support last month in rallying Arab countries to back a UN Security Council resolution codifying Trump’s peace plan. Ramallah’s assistance led to the establishment of a new high-level communication channel between Sheikh and Trump’s top aide, Jared Kushner, The Times of Israel revealed last week.