Huckabee Calls Israeli Settlers "Terrorists" After Home Seizure

In a strikingly harsh statement Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned Israeli settlers who seized a Palestinian family's home in the Judea and Samaria village of Kusra, explicitly referring to them as "Israeli terrorists."

"The IDF and police came at our request to remove the Israeli terrorists doing this," Huckabee said in an official statement. "The actions of those doing this to this family's home are criminal. We have already made sure to update Washington on the situation."

The ambassador continued his sharp criticism of the incident: "The actions of those who carried out this horrifying act of terror, designed to intimidate and harass the family, are repulsive. There is no excuse for such thuggish behavior."

Huckabee's unusually strong language comes amid a wave of anger in Washington following the events in Kusra. Senior officials in the administration and Congress have demanded immediate clarifications from Israel, with advisers close to President Trump expressing deep shock at the siege settlers imposed on the village. American officials publicly questioned how the Israeli military failed to prevent harm to Palestinian residents. "Is there anarchy in Israel?" senior sources reportedly asked. The IDF responded severely to the siege on the village, defining the activity as "illegal, disgraceful, and unacceptable." In an official statement, the military noted that in recent weeks it received multiple reports of Israeli civilians entering Palestinian homes and lands in the Kusra and Jalud areas and taking them over.

The American ambassador previously expressed explicit support for the settlement movement, and is considered a strong friend of Israel.

"Judea and Samaria are an inseparable part of the State of Israel and everyone needs to understand that. Anyone running for U.S. president should visit here", Huckabee said in the past.

The sharp turn, including the use of the term "Israeli terrorists," demonstrates the extent to which the extremist conduct in Kusra is causing Israel political damage in the United States and worldwide, even among its most loyal supporters.

The events in Kusra occurred following the murder of two Israelis approximately three weeks ago near the village of Tal.