US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has condemned an attack on a historic Palestinian church in the West Bank as an “act of terror” and called for those responsible to be prosecuted.
Huckabee said he visited the Christian village of Taybeh, where local church leaders reported that Israeli settlers set fire near a cemetery and the historic Church of St George, which dates back to the 5th century.
"It is an act of terror, and it is a crime," Huckabee said in a statement on Saturday. "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 publicly commented on the 8th July incident, though it has previously condemned settler violence.
Last week, church leaders in Taybeh demanded an “immediate and transparent investigation” after the attacks.
In a joint statement, local priests warned the violence “threatens the security and stability of our town” and accused settlers of grazing cattle on family farmland and expanding illegal outposts “under military protection.”
Settler attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank have risen since the start of Israel's war on the Hamas militant group in Gaza in October 2023, though violence has long simmered there.
The United Nations' highest court said last year that Israel's settlements in territories it captured in the 1967 Middle East war, including the West Bank, were illegal.
Israel disputes this, citing biblical and historical ties to the land as well as security needs.
(Reuters contributed to this report)
