US Ambassador Urges Israel To Take Responsibility For West Bank Church Attacks

ILLUSTRATION/Jenin DOCUMENTATION, West Bank/LET UNICEF/Ahed Izhiman

JAKARTA - The United States Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, visited the Palestinian city of Taybeh, Saturday (19/7), days after a historic church in the region was attacked and damaged by illegal Israeli settlers.

During the visit, Huckabee visited the location of the Al-Khadr Church located in Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, the central West Bank area.

"Advertising church, mosque, or fire is a crime against humanity and against God," Huckabee wrote in a statement on the X account.

He also emphasized, "When an American citizen -- Jewish, Muslim, or Christian -- is terrorized or a victim of a crime, I will demand that the perpetrators be held accountable and given real sanctions."

According to local reports, Israeli illegal settlers stormed the area around the centuries-old church last week, burning parts around it, and bringing livestock into the church complex.

Taybeh, which is the residence of many American nationals, has seen an increase in violence by settlers in recent weeks.

Illegal settlers' attacks also target the Bedouin community in the surrounding area, as part of a broader escalation of violence across the West Bank.

Palestinian authorities recorded at least 2,153 attacks by illegal Israeli settlers in occupied territories throughout the first half of this year, resulting in the deaths of four Palestinians.

Since the start of the Israeli genocide war in Gaza, nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank as a result of attacks by Israeli troops and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

In an important opinion in July, the International Court stated that the occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel was illegal and called for the evacuation of entire settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.