Loading the Audio Player…
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee released a Thursday statement denouncing Israeli settlers’ days-long siege of West Bank locals. He specifically condemned attacks against a home owned by an American citizen. He described the actions of Israeli attackers as disgusting and horrific terror acts meant to harass and intimidate a family.
Residents in the village of Qusra reported groups of Israeli individuals throwing stones at homes, trying to knock down infrastructure, and blocking people from leaving their homes. The attacks seemed to begin on Sunday and continue despite the Israel Defense Forces’ interference. Huckabee released a separate statement noting that IDF soldiers responded to illegal trespassers in Qusra, trying to intimidate Palestinian residents. It’s not accurate to say Israel did nothing to protect Palestinian homeowners and U.S. citizens, he added.
Huckabee released an additional statement on Thursday noting that only a small minority of Israeli settlers were carrying out the violence and that various settler leaders denounced the harassment.
How has Israel responded? Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also spoke out against the regional violence on Thursday. Katz spoke with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday about the unrest. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed to spearhead quelling regional unrest, Katz added.