 "People carry the body of Palestinian Christian Saad Salama, who was killed in an Israeli strike on the Church of the Holy Family, according to medics, at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, in Gaza City July 17, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas)")
The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has condemned an arson attack on a historic church in the occupied West Bank, calling it an “act of terror” and urging Israel to prosecute those responsible.
Huckabee, a vocal supporter of Israeli settlements, visited the Christian town of Taybeh on Saturday (July 20), where clerics said Israeli settlers had set fire near a cemetery and a 5th-century church on July 8. The attack damaged part of the grounds near the Church of St George and came amid a surge in settler violence across the West Bank.
“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.”
The Israeli government has not commented on the incident. It has previously denounced acts of settler violence but has been accused by rights groups of failing to hold perpetrators accountable.
Rare rebuke from Trump envoy
Huckabee’s remarks are one of the clearest public rebukes of settler violence by a Trump administration official. They follow his earlier call on Tuesday for Israel to “aggressively investigate” the killing of a Palestinian American who was reportedly beaten to death by settlers in the West Bank. That incident, too, was described by Huckabee as a “criminal and terrorist act”.
Although Huckabee is known for his close ties to settler leaders and opposition to Palestinian statehood, his recent comments signal growing unease in Washington over escalating violence in the West Bank, which has surged since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
The Trump administration has taken a starkly different line from its predecessor. In January, President Trump lifted sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of attacking Palestinians.
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The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has long been a flashpoint between settlers and Palestinians. Violence by both sides has intensified over the past nine months.
The United Nations’ top court has ruled that Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects. Israeli leaders argue the territory is vital for national security and assert historical and biblical claims to the land.