US Ambassador Mike Huckabee toured Taybeh on Saturday, a Palestinian Christian town north of Ramallah, which has allegedly seen multiple attacks by extremist settler groups in recent weeks.
“It is an act of terror, and it is a crime,” Huckabee said in a statement. “Those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh – or anywhere – [should] be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that’s not enough.”
Christian leaders have decried the recent attacks, including an apparent arson attack adjacent to the Church of St. George last week.
“I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel – Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime, I will demand those responsible be held accountable w/ real consequences. Was in Taybeh today to meet with people of that village to listen & learn,” Huckabee wrote on social media following the visit.
“Taybeh is a quiet Palestinian Christian village… with a lot of American citizens, that has been vandalized – including fires set at ancient church,” he wrote. “I visited there today. Desecrating a church, mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity & God.”
Settler violence in the West Bank
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III also visiting Taybeh with other Jerusalem-based clerics, saying that settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th-century church there last week.
“These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community… but also to the historic and religious heritage,” the patriarch told diplomats and journalists at a press conference in Taybeh.
Settlers had also attacked homes in the area, he said.
“We call for an immediate and transparent investigation on why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished,” he said.
Last week, Huckabee also called on Israel to “aggressively investigate” the killing of a Palestinian American who was allegedly beaten to death by settlers in the West Bank, describing it as a “criminal and terrorist act.”
“I have asked [Israel] to aggressively investigate the murder of Saif Musallet, an American citizen who was visiting family in Sinjil when he was beaten to death,” Huckabee wrote on X/Twitter, referring to a town north of Ramallah.
Musallet, 20, whose full first name is Sayafollah, was severely beaten in the incident. His family, who are from Florida, say that medics failed to reach him for hours and that he died before reaching the hospital.
Israeli officials have not yet commented on the death nor condemned the attacks on Taybeh.