United States declares attack on Palestinian church in West Bank a 'terrorist act'

(Patria) - US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday called for the prosecution of perpetrators of an attack on a Palestinian church in the occupied West Bank, for which Israeli settlers have been blamed, calling it a "terrorist act", Reuters reported.

Huckabee said he visited the Christian town of Taybeh, where, according to priests, Israeli settlers set fire near a cemetery and a 5th-century church on July 8.

"This is an act of terror and a crime," Huckabee said.

"Those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh - or anywhere - (should) be found and prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that is not enough."

The Israeli government has not commented on the incident, but has previously condemned such acts.

On Tuesday, Huckabee said he had asked Israel to "aggressively investigate" the killing of a Palestinian American beaten by settlers in the West Bank, similarly describing it as a "criminal and terrorist act".

Huckabee is a strong supporter of Israeli settlements, and his comments are a rare and sharp public intervention by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

In January, Trump lifted sanctions imposed by the Joseph Biden administration on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have increased since the start of the Israeli war against the militant group Hamas in Gaza in October 2023, although violence there has been simmering for a long time.

The United Nations' highest court said last year that Israeli settlements in territories occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, including the West Bank, were illegal. Israel disputes this, citing biblical and historical ties to the land and security needs.