The situation in the West Bank is so dire even Mike Huckabee is condemning Israeli settlers

In the midst of August's political lull, an unexpected event unfolded: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denounced Israeli settlers besieging three Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank. A staunch supporter of Israel, Huckabee typically defends the Israeli army and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, this week, he labeled the settlers as "Israeli terrorists" on his social media platform and characterized their actions as "horrific" and "disgusting."

He is correct in his assessment. According to UN data, as of August 10, 76 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, with 18 of them being children. Furthermore, over 1,400 documented settler attacks have taken place, and nearly half of the 3,800 Palestinians displaced this year are children. Human rights groups warn that the violence could escalate into a mass atrocity, with UN Deputy Special Co-ordinator Ramiz Alakbarov stating that the West Bank is at a breaking point.

Israeli statistics reveal a 63% surge in "nationalistic crime" during the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. Illegal settlements expand rapidly, with the UN reporting over 12,000 new housing units constructed since January, funded by $431 million for 34 new settlements. Settler outposts now occupy nearly a fifth of the West Bank's land.

Settlers hail from various backgrounds, including Ukraine, Russia, and Long Island, driven by a belief in "the land of Judea and Samaria." The alarming trend of settlers arriving from these diverse locations underscores the escalating crisis. In his analysis of The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, Rashid Khalidi traces the history of Palestinian suffering back to November 2, 1917, when British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour wrote a letter pledging to view the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine favorably.

Growing up in the West Bank, witnessing settlements, and observing the consequences of Balfour's legacy, the author finds settlers' relentless pursuit of land through violence both disheartening and infuriating. Balfour's letter laid the foundation for the current situation, treating Palestinian presence as land to be removed rather than a shared existence.

The settlers' mantra of overpowering by force, backed by Old Testament beliefs, is the root cause of the displacement and loss of life. Israeli politicians openly advocate for the destruction of Palestinian villages and the establishment of more settlements, even their advocates claim they aim to make a Palestinian state impossible.

The settlers continue to pour into the region from various nations. To achieve any resolution, it is necessary to confront the historical facts honestly, beginning with the British mandate rather than attributing the conflict to recent events. The Palestinian West Bank, a land of breathtaking beauty, is paying a steep price for this historical injustice.