Mike Huckabee with a warning: "Those involved in this may face consequences"
The US Ambassador to Israel said that America might ban settlers who participated in the siege of homes in Samaria from entering the country. However, Huckabee clarified that he is not aware of such measures being considered at this stage.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told the Reuters news agency that settlers found to have taken part in the siege of homes in the village of Qusra in Samaria could be punished with American sanctions, including a travel ban to the US, though he added that he is not aware of such measures being considered at this stage. According to him, those who took part in these actions should face significant consequences in Israel as well.
The ambassador stated that the US is "shocked" by what happened in Qusra. He described the harm caused to Palestinian families by Israeli settlers as "inexcusable and repulsive" criminal activity.
When asked about the message of the Donald Trump administration to settlers considering taking over homes or lands in Judea and Samaria owned by Palestinian-Americans, Huckabee replied:
"The message is even bigger than the Donald Trump administration. It is a message of basic decency and civilized behavior."
He added: "You don't take something that doesn't belong to you," and referenced the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not covet."
"If someone is the owner of the land and the house, and someone else comes along, takes them over, and intimidates the family until it flees, that is a violation, and not just of man's law," he said. "It is a violation of God's law."
Huckabee also defended the settlement enterprise, saying that in his opinion, the violent settlers are a minority that does not represent the broad public of settlers, who only want "to raise their families in Judea and Samaria in peace and with a measure of security."
Huckabee, a Baptist pastor and former governor of Arkansas, has been considered for years a staunch supporter of the settlements in Judea and Samaria, and he is the first evangelical Christian to serve as US Ambassador to Israel.
In February 2024, former president Joe Biden signed an executive order that allowed for the imposition of sanctions on settlers and organizations in Judea and Samaria accused of involvement in violence against Palestinians. The sanctions were imposed on dozens of Israelis and entities, including the freezing of assets in the US and a ban on American citizens conducting business with them. On his first day in the White House in January 2025, President Donald Trump revoked the order and removed the sanctions.
