Washington toughens its tone: "Violence in the West Bank harms Israel's security"
A senior US official told Walla that Washington condemns violence by any party and views stability in the West Bank as a security interest of Israel. The remarks come after Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the Jewish rioters in Qusra "Israeli terrorists" and their actions a "terrible act of terror."
A senior official at the US State Department said today (Thursday) to Walla that Washington is in constant dialogue with its partners regarding stability and security in the West Bank, and clarified that the United States condemns "criminal violence by any party." According to him, maintaining stability in the West Bank is a direct security interest of Israel.
"We are in constant dialogue with our partners regarding improving stability and security in the West Bank. We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank. When the West Bank is stable, it protects Israel's security and is consistent with this administration's goal of achieving peace in the region."
The remarks come following recent events in Judea and Samaria, and after the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, published a sharp statement this morning against Jews who committed violence against a Palestinian family in the village of Qusra.
Huckabee rejected claims that the US Embassy in Jerusalem did not act on the matter, and claimed that the embassy was "very involved" and that the IDF and the Israel Police arrived at the scene at its request to remove the rioters.
The ambassador called the perpetrators "Israeli terrorists" and defined the act as "this terrible act of terror, designed to intimidate and harass this family."
Huckabee added that the acts committed against the family's home are criminal and that "there is no excuse for such thuggish behavior." At the same time, he sought to clarify that the White House itself was not required to "intervene" separately, because the embassy had already updated Washington on the developments and the handling of the case.
The words of the State Department official expand the message beyond the incident in Qusra itself and place the violence in the West Bank in a broader context of regional stability. In Washington, they emphasize that opposition to violence is not limited to one side, and that violence by any party in the West Bank is perceived as a direct blow to the effort to maintain stability on the ground.
