U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has warned Israeli settlers against seizing Palestinian-American property in the occupied West Bank, saying those involved in an attempt to take privately owned land could face serious consequences in Israel and potentially U.S. sanctions. The intervention is notable because Huckabee is a longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, and it comes amid a broader rise in settler attacks and Palestinian displacement that has drawn increasingly blunt criticism from Washington.
Huckabee was responding to events in Qusra, south of Nablus, where settlers began encircling Palestinian homes on August 9, including one belonging to Palestinian-American Loui Ridi. The confrontation began when settlers surrounded several homes and attempted to establish a presence beside them. Israeli forces later pushed the settlers away from the houses, though residents said they remained nearby. Ridi and a neighbor raised a U.S. flag over his home after regaining access to it.
The United States was “appalled” by what happened, Huckabee told Reuters, describing the Palestinian families as victims of “inexcusable and repugnant” criminal activity. Citing the Ten Commandments, the Baptist minister said settlers could not simply take property belonging to someone else. He added that those responsible could face U.S. measures such as entry bans, while stressing that he was not aware of any sanctions currently under consideration.
Huckabee had already described those involved as “Israeli terrorists” and said the U.S. embassy was heavily involved in the case. He has nevertheless drawn a sharp distinction between violent actors and the broader settlement movement he has long supported, arguing that the perpetrators represent a small minority. In Israeli media interviews, he described them as “unsettlers” rather than settlers and accused them of damaging Israel while claiming to defend it.
The confrontation comes amid a broader increase in settler violence in the West Bank. Palestinians and rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli authorities of failing to adequately prevent attacks or hold perpetrators accountable. U.N. bodies and most governments consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
The Palestinian-American dimension has increased Washington’s direct involvement. Huckabee said embassy involvement becomes “automatic” when a U.S. citizen is affected. Tens of thousands of Palestinian Americans are estimated to live in the West Bank, many in villages between Ramallah and Nablus, and Ridi told Reuters he remained in contact with embassy staff while continuing to face harassment near his home.
Israeli forces have detained at least one Israeli and dismantled illegal outposts during operations around Qusra, but Reuters reported Thursday that no settlers had been arrested or charged over the alleged attempt to seize the Palestinian-American property. Washington has also pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn the incident, but he has not done so.
Huckabee’s intervention therefore sets a test of whether Washington’s unusually sharp rhetoric – including an ambassador willing to describe violent Israeli settlers as terrorists – will translate into consequences when privately owned Palestinian land and American citizens are targeted.
