U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called recent violence by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank “terrorism,” marking an unusually sharp rebuke.
"Israelis can carry out terrorism as well,” Huckabee told U.S.-based News Nation on Wednesday. "But most of these people are not actual settlers who live there. This is a very small number, mostly of youth, angry and disaffected. These are thugs.”
The diplomat confirmed that there has been "an escalation” in settler violence against Palestinian civilians, which he described as "acts of terrorism.”
The ambassador said Israeli authorities are seeking to bring those accountable to justice.
"Those who are committing acts of terror, even if they are Israelis, they are going to feel the full force of the law.”
More than 1,076 Palestinians have been killed, and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory since October 2023. More than 20,500 people have also been arrested.
According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, illegal Israeli settlers have carried out 7,154 attacks against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank during the same period.
In response to a question on the Gaza cease-fire, Huckabee expressed optimism about the advancement of the deal, saying that "it has been a remarkable period of calm.”
Regarding the U.S. sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, Huckabee ruled out any concern by Tel Aviv, as Israel "knows that there’s still statutory requirements from the U.S. that Israel has a superiority in terms of defense mechanisms and U.S. weapons.”
"We have an agreement with Israel that they are supposed to have military superiority in the Middle East. I think that they believe that the US is going to honor that,” he added.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have signed several strategic agreements during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington, including the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the jets planned to be sold to Riyadh will be "pretty similar" to the models sold to Israel, saying both nations are "great" U.S. allies.
