Summary
- U.S. Ambassador Huckabee calls attack on Taybeh church an "act of terror" and demands prosecutions.
- Israeli settlers accused of arson and repeated violence in Taybeh, a predominantly Christian West Bank town.
- Senior church leaders and diplomats condemn violence and call for Israeli authorities to act.
- Settler attacks include fires near historic churches, damage to farms, and intimidation of residents.
- The violence threatens Christian heritage and community stability in the occupied West Bank.
Huckabee claimed to have visited the Christian hamlet of Taybeh, where clerics reported that on July 8, Israeli settlers had set fire to a cemetery and a church from the fifth century.
"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."
Although it has previously condemned such actions, the Israeli government has not commented on the occurrence.
Huckabee described the assassination of a Palestinian American who was beaten by settlers in the West Bank as a "criminal and terrorist act" and said he had encouraged Israel to "aggressively investigate" it on Tuesday.
Huckabee is a strong advocate for Israeli settlements, and his remarks represent a rare and incisive public statement from the Trump administration.
The former Biden administration's sanctions against Israeli settlement organizations and people who were allegedly implicated in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank were lifted by Trump in January.
Although violence has always simmered in the West Bank, settlers' attacks on Palestinians and Palestinians' attacks on Israelis have increased since Israel began its war on the Hamas militant group in Gaza in October 2023.
Israel's settlements in areas it seized during the 1967 Middle East conflict, including the West Bank, were declared unlawful by the UN's highest court last year.
Israel contests this, pointing to security requirements as well as historical and biblical links to the region
What measures are being taken to protect religious sites and prevent violence in the occupied territories?
At sensitive sites such as the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Israeli military forces heavily guard the area with checkpoints and road restrictions that limit Palestinian access and movement while allowing Jewish visitors on select days.
This is intended to prevent clashes but also restricts freedom of worship for Palestinians and exacerbates tensions.
Legal and Administrative Arrangements: The status quo at key religious sites is governed by agreements such as the 1996 Wye River Accords, which divide control (e.g., the Islamic waqf controls most of the Cave of the Patriarchs site).
However, changes or perceived erosion of this status quo by Israeli authorities—such as expanding settler access or restricting Palestinian worshippers—have frequently triggered unrest and violence.