Huckabee condemns settler siege
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Thursday denounced as "terror" a siege by settlers against Palestinian families near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, according to France 24. Settlers have blockaded Palestinian homes since Sunday, including one owned by a US citizen, cutting off residents from food and other supplies.
"Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," Huckabee wrote on X, adding, "No excuse for such thuggish behaviour." He said Israel had intervened at the request of the United States.
The remarks are especially striking from Huckabee, an evangelical Christian pastor who in the past has embraced Jewish settlement in the West Bank and rejected the idea of a Palestinian state. The Israeli military on Wednesday sent in forces who took away a tent, but witnesses said settlers defiantly remained at the site with blankets. The army announced later Wednesday that it would send a new battalion to try to impose order.
France 24 reports that violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has increased dramatically since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law, among some three million Palestinians.
Broader context of settler violence
The National, which also covered the story, emphasizes the wider scale of the issue. Its report describes Huckabee as calling the settlers "Israeli terrorists" on his X feed and describing their acts as "horrific" and "disgusting." The report cites UN figures showing that as of August 10, 76 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, including 18 children, with more than 1,400 documented settler attacks and about 3,800 Palestinians driven from their homes this year alone – nearly half of them children.
The National quotes Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s Deputy Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, as saying, "The West Bank is at the breaking point." Human rights organizations have warned that the violence risks tipping into mass atrocity.
Israeli data cited by The National, reported by Israeli media, show a 63 per cent jump in "nationalistic crime" in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. The UN says more than 12,000 new housing units have been advanced since January, backed by $431 million for 34 new settlements, and settler agricultural outposts now claim close to a fifth of the West Bank’s land.
The National’s report also includes historical context, referencing the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, and notes that settlers come from places like Ukraine, Russia, and Long Island. It mentions Baruch Goldstein, a settler from Brooklyn who murdered 29 Palestinians in Hebron, and states that cabinet ministers openly call for the destruction of Palestinian villages.
Both reports agree on the core facts of the siege and Huckabee’s condemnation, but they differ in focus. France 24’s coverage centers on the specific incident and Huckabee’s diplomatic role, while The National expands into a broader commentary on settler violence and its historical roots. The National’s tone is more opinionated, using phrases like "bloodthirsty drive" and "machinery that Balfour’s letter set in motion," whereas France 24 maintains a more measured tone, noting the surprising nature of Huckabee’s remarks given his past positions.