US envoy demands ‘harsh consequences’ as he visits Christian town attacked by settlers

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday, which has been the scene of several attacks by settlers in recent weeks.

Taybeh residents and local church leaders said the town had experienced an upsurge in settler harassment recently. They pointed to an arson attack, which they said was committed by extremist settlers, next to the ruins of the Church of St. George in the town last week, as one of the most serious incidents so far.

On Monday, the most senior church leaders in the Holy Land toured the Palestinian town and alleged that Israeli authorities have facilitated the ongoing harassment.

“Desecrating a church, mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity and God,” Huckabee wrote Saturday on X after touring Taybeh.

“I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime I will demand those responsible be held accountable with real consequences,” he added.

In a separate statement issued by the State Department, Huckabee denounced the arson attack as “an act of terror” and demanded “harsh consequences” for the perpetrators.

I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime I will demand those responsible be held accountable w/ real consequences. Was in Taybeh today to meet with people of that village to listen & learn. pic.twitter.com/tvl3qABZHx

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) July 19, 2025

He also appeared to take a shot at Israeli authorities over the lack of enforcement against settler violence.

“We will certainly insist that those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh – or anywhere – be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that’s not enough,” Huckabee said. “People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs, not just to other people, but that which belongs to God. That is a sacrilege. It’s against the Holy.”

Israeli officials have yet to condemn the attacks on Taybeh and have also been mum on last week’s killing of two Palestinians, including a US citizen allegedly beaten to death by settlers near the West Bank village of Sinjil.

Huckabkee’s visit to Taybeh came amid growing concern from the US over Israeli actions toward Christians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement Thursday expressing regret after IDF tank fire killed three civilians in Gaza’s only Catholic church, heeding a demand from US President Donald Trump, who angrily phoned the Israeli premier over the incident.

Earlier this week, Huckabee threatened to declare publicly that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups to Israel over what he said was Jerusalem’s failure to approve tourist visas for evangelical missions.

On Tuesday, he described the killing of Palestinian-American Saif Musallet near Ramallah, who was allegedly beaten to death by settlers, as a “criminal and terrorist act.”

It appeared to be one of the first times Huckabee has commented on rampant settler violence in the West Bank, though he avoided using the term or characterizing the killing as part of a broader phenomenon.

A devout evangelical Christian, Huckabee has long expressed support for Israel annexing the West Bank and has pushed back against calls for scaling back Israel’s presence there, making his public condemnations of some Israeli policies and settler violence particularly notable.

Criticism of Israel from the American right has been growing in recent months, particularly following American involvement in Israel’s war against Iran last month, which seemingly contradicted US President Donald Trump’s campaign promise not to involve the United States in new overseas conflicts.

In a sign of the shift, the far-right One America News Network aired a segment on Wednesday critical of Musallet’s killing and settler violence generally.