US envoy Huckabee tells Israeli settlers not to take Palestinian Americans’ land

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has cautioned militant Israeli settlers in the West Bank against attempting to seize property owned by Palestinian Americans, labeling their actions as a breach of divine law. The settler group surrounded several homes in Qusra, a West Bank village, in late August, allegedly to claim privately owned Palestinian land.

International condemnation has followed the incident, with Israel's military pushing the settlers back but warning they may return once the troops withdraw. The US envoy, Huckabee, a Baptist minister and supporter of Israeli settlements, emphasized that such behavior defies both secular and religious laws. He told Reuters, "You don't take something that doesn't belong to you.

Thou shalt not steal." The US government estimates that tens of thousands of Palestinian Americans reside in the West Bank, primarily in villages near Ramallah and Nablus, where Qusra is located. Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American homeowner in Qusra, has expressed his concerns to Huckabee's staff at the US embassy in Jerusalem, stating he continues to face harassment from the settlers.

The ambassador, Huckabee, is the first evangelical Christian to hold the position and supports settlements in the West Bank, referring to the territory using its biblical name, Judea and Samaria. He defended the settlements, asserting they are a minority engaged in peaceful, secure family living. However, Palestinian and international observers reject this claim, arguing the settlements encroach upon land designated for a future Palestinian state.

The US administration expressed horror at the Qusra siege, emphasizing that the targeted Palestinian families were victims of criminal actions and that any involved settlers should face severe consequences, including potential sanctions from the US, though no such measures have been implemented.