Mike Huckabee Reckons With the Disturbing Reality of Settler Violence
Huckabee, a longtime supporter of settlements, recently invoked the Bible against Israeli settlers.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, has faced scrutiny over his response to the escalating violence surrounding settlement expansion in Palestinian territory. In mid-August, Huckabee referred to those involved in the siege of a Palestinian home in the village of Qusra as "Israeli terrorists," a notable shift from the Trump administration's typical use of the term for groups like Hamas.
The Qusra siege, ongoing and indicative of broader settler violence trends in the West Bank, has reached record levels in 2026, according to the United Nations. Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, has argued that the seizure of land or homes belonging to Palestinian Americans in the West Bank violates both "God's law" and man's law, citing the biblical verse "Thou shalt not steal" and the prohibition against coveting.
While Huckabee has previously referred to the West Bank as "Judea and Samaria," invoking biblical names for the territory, his recent comments on the Qusra siege demonstrate a departure from his usual stance. The Trump administration has shown limited determination in pressuring Israel to halt the violence, with critics accusing the White House of enabling Israeli settlers and undermining U.S. interests in the region, such as Gaza stabilization and the Abraham Accords.
European Union foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the Israeli government's plan to build more settlements in the E1 area of the West Bank would divide the territory and further erode the prospects for a two-state solution, emphasizing the need for Israel to halt settlement expansion and ensure accountability for settler violence.
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