JERUSALEM: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has condemned a siege by Israeli settlers against Palestinian residents near Nablus, describing the actions as an act of “terror” and denouncing what he called “thuggish behaviour”.
The settlers have reportedly blockaded Palestinian homes in the area since Sunday, preventing residents from receiving food and other essential supplies. One of the targeted properties is reportedly owned by a US citizen.
Responding on social media to criticism of Washington’s handling of the incident, Huckabee said the actions were intended to intimidate and harass the family and described them as “disgusting”.
BREAKING US ambassador to Israel, a staunch supporter of West Bank settlements, denounces as “terror” a siege by settlers against Palestinian homes, including one owned by a US citizen.
“No excuse for such thuggish behaviour,” Mike Huckabee wrote on X pic.twitter.com/huMMABYcGD
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 13, 2026
“There is no excuse for such thuggish behaviour,” the ambassador said, while maintaining that Israeli authorities had intervened following a request from the United States, a key ally of Israel.
Huckabee’s remarks have drawn particular attention because of his longstanding support for Israel and its settlement movement. The evangelical Christian pastor has previously expressed support for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israeli forces intervene
The Israeli military intervened on Wednesday after the settlers maintained their blockade of the Palestinian homes. According to witnesses, troops removed a tent that had been set up at the site. However, the settlers reportedly refused to leave and remained in the area with blankets.
The Israeli army subsequently announced that it would deploy an additional battalion in an attempt to restore order and end the confrontation.
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The incident comes amid a sharp rise in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
Rights groups and international organisations have repeatedly raised concerns over settler violence against Palestinians, including attacks on homes, farmland and property, as well as forced displacement in parts of the West Bank.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in communities across the occupied West Bank, alongside around three million Palestinians. The Israeli settlements are regarded as illegal under international law, although Israel disputes that position.
The latest confrontation has also highlighted tensions surrounding Washington’s policy towards Israeli settlements, with Huckabee’s unusually strong condemnation underscoring the sensitivity of the issue even among senior US officials.
