U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday condemned a settler‑linked arson attack on a historic Palestinian church in the West Bank as an “act of terror” and urged Israeli authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Huckabee said he toured the Christian town of Taybeh, where local priests allege that Israeli settlers set fires near a cemetery and a fifth‑century church on 8 July. “This is terrorism and a crime,” he declared. “Those responsible must be located and prosecuted—not merely reprimanded.”
Israel’s government has not publicly addressed the Taybeh incident, though it routinely denounces settler violence.
Earlier this week Huckabee also pressed Israel to “aggressively investigate” the beating death of a Palestinian‑American man, calling that assault “a criminal and terrorist act.”
A vocal supporter of Israeli settlements, Huckabee rarely criticizes settler conduct in public, making his remarks a notable departure for the Trump administration. In January, President Donald Trump lifted sanctions that the previous Biden administration had imposed on settler groups accused of attacking Palestinians.
Violence in the West Bank—settler attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian assaults on Israelis—has surged since Israel’s war with Hamas erupted in Gaza in October 2023. The U.N. International Court of Justice ruled last year that West Bank settlements are illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects, citing historical rights and security concerns.