Mike Huckabee calls West Bank settlers ‘terrorists’ over home siege
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned settlers at a Palestinian-American family’s West Bank home as reports described a wider standoff near Qusra.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called Israeli settlers besieging the West Bank home of an American-Palestinian family “terrorists,” NPR reported on Aug. 13. The Mike Huckabee settlers terrorists remarks put a sharp U.S. condemnation on a confrontation that reporting placed near the Palestinian village of Qusra, south of Nablus.
NPR did not provide further detail in its available report excerpt about when Huckabee made the comment or what action followed. WUNC carried the same NPR report, rather than separate reporting.
What happened at the homes near Qusra?
The Wall Street Journal reported that settlers had established encampments outside three homes near Qusra and that Israeli troops entered the village amid the standoff. The newspaper said the troop deployment effectively put the area on lockdown.
Al Jazeera reported that families said entrances to at least three homes had been blocked with rocks and tents since Sunday. Its report said security-camera footage showed settlers and soldiers around one of the homes, but the available material does not establish the full circumstances of the confrontation.
Loai Ridi, an American-Palestinian interviewed by Al Jazeera, said his brother Qusay and 18-year-old nephew Ahmad had spent four days unable to leave their home in Qusra. Ridi said the family feared that leaving would allow settlers to take over the property.
Ridi also alleged that water and electricity service had been cut off and that the people inside had only a few days of supplies. Those accounts came from Ridi and were not independently confirmed in the reporting excerpts.
What did Israeli forces do during the standoff?
The Journal reported that Israeli troops moved into the village as authorities sought to contain the crisis. Al Jazeera reported that families said Israeli forces had not cleared the settlers from the blocked homes.
Ridi told Al Jazeera that he had contacted the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and a congressional representative. He said at the time of the interview that he had not seen a change on the ground.
The supplied reports do not establish whether Israeli security forces removed the settlers, whether anyone was arrested or injured, or whether the siege had ended. They also do not describe a formal U.S. policy response beyond Huckabee’s reported condemnation.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.