US Ambassador Condemns Settler Violence Against Palestinians
Jerusalem: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee expressed rare criticism towards a small faction of extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank, condemning their recent assault on housing being constructed by Palestinian Americans from Ohio.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) managed to remove the unauthorized intruders and arrested one individual. However, this group, primarily consisting of disaffected youth, has established illegal outposts and engaged in violent acts against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank. This issue has increasingly troubled Israeli officials, facing accusations of insufficient action to curb the violence.
In response to criticisms that his team was not proactive enough, Ambassador Huckabee stated: “The US embassy in Jerusalem was actively involved. The IDF and Israeli police responded to our request to remove the Israeli terrorists perpetrating these acts. The actions against this family’s home are criminal. We did not ‘intervene’ because we had already informed Washington about the situation. The conduct of those involved in this appalling act of terrorism was aimed at intimidation. There is no justification for such thugs harassing this family.”
House Democrat Ro Khanna says he was detained by armed Israeli settlers in the West Bank
Israeli settlers reportedly besieged three homes in the occupied West Bank, for several days, including a residence belonging to Palestinian-American Louis Liddy in Qusra, a northern West Bank village.
A senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office remarked: “Israel does not condone any violence from vigilante groups or delinquent youths. We’re working hard to address these isolated incidents. To that end, the IDF has deployed an extra battalion to Judea and Samaria. We take acts of violence seriously. Just in the first quarter of 2026, over 350 investigations were initiated, with 35 leading to formal inquiries.” He added that, in May alone, there were more than 300 attacks by Palestinians targeting Jews.
“We do not support vigilante movements,” the official continued. “Judea and Samaria is our ancestral territory, where the Jewish people originated and have the right to live. The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria is law-abiding. We are addressing the actions of youths involved.”
Battle for the Holy Land: Solomon’s Pool becomes a flashpoint in the battle over Israel’s Biblical heritage
Prominent Israeli columnist Nadav Eyal shared with Fox News Digital that there is widespread agreement in Israeli politics—spanning from left to right—that some actions occurring in Judea and Samaria could indeed be classified as Jewish terrorism. “This phenomenon is more prevalent than ever,” he noted, “and the Israeli defense establishment views it as a serious issue.”
Israeli military officials reported that IDF troops had evacuated illegal outposts in Judea and Samaria over 150 times in the first half of the year, averaging two to three illegal outpost evictions per night recently. Currently, 15 cases are undergoing investigation by Israeli police. The process to control these outposts has involved the confiscation of several mobile structures in recent operations, and soldiers from three training bases were deployed as reinforcements following a series of incidents.
In a separate post on X, Huckabee mentioned that the issue in Judea and Samaria is not the settlers themselves but rather a very small subset causing significant harm to Palestinian families and Israel.
Over 500,000 Israelis reside in Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank. Settlement movement leaders have condemned the violence, with Israel Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council, stating, “There is no justification for personal choices to establish outposts within another’s property, regardless of the legality of that property.” He further emphasized that violence against innocent people and security forces is unequivocally unwarranted.
Beit El Council Chairman Shai Alon described the perpetrators as causing “irreparable damage” to both Israel and the settlement movement, labeling those responsible for assaults on innocent Palestinians as criminals.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned these attacks, labeling them as part of a systematic strategy to displace Palestinians in favor of a West Bank annexation plan.
Israeli Channel 12 analyst Amit Segal remarked on X that while settler violence remains a sensitive topic in Israel, only a marginal part of the settler population engages in such acts. These incidents, however, lead to outrage and draw attention, even among Israel’s closest allies, as they tend to overshadow Palestinian violence.
Fox News Digital directed press inquiries to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Mike Huckabee’s evaluation of this incident is telling, especially considering he is seen as one of Israel’s staunchest supporters,” Segal reflected. “For four days, the IDF has struggled to clear a path for a family in Khusra to access their home, as settlers from the Tel Talpiot outpost have blocked their way.”
