US issues rare condemnation of ‘West Bank violence,’ but doesn’t fault Israel for it

The US State Department goes slightly further in condemning surging West Bank settler violence than it has in the past, though it does not use the word “settler” and avoids criticizing Israel for not cracking down on the phenomenon.

“We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank and call for investigations, arrests and convictions of those responsible,” a State Department spokesperson says in response to a query from The Times of Israel on the matter.

Previous statements from the State Department on the subject were slightly more vague and largely stressed the importance of maintaining stability in the West Bank, though this one does not mention either Israel or the Palestinians by name.

“We are in regular dialogue with partners about improving stability and security in the West Bank,” the State Department spokesperson says, indicating that the US is raising the matter with Israel behind closed doors.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has been just about the only member of US President Donald Trump’s administration to criticize settler violence, calling perpetrators “terrorists,” while insisting that they’re not representative of the half-million Israelis living beyond the Green Line.

But he too has refrained from explicitly criticizing Israel’s handling of settler violence, which goes largely unchecked.

A rare series of arrests was carried out earlier this week for an arson attack against a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank. But it remains to be seen whether any of the suspects will be indicted or convicted.

Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in a well-documented settler rampage that took place on Saturday in the northern West Bank Palestinian village of Qusra, which was also subject to a siege by settlers.