US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called on Saturday for “severe consequences” for violent settlers as he met with Palestinians in the central West Bank.
The meeting in Turmus Ayya included families of Palestinian Americans killed by settlers. The Ramallah-area town, home to a large number of US citizens, has faced repeated settler attacks.
“Our clear message is that crime is crime, terror is terror. When people do it, they should have an expectation that they will have severe consequences,” Huckabee told reporters, adding that “the government has a responsibility” to ensure targeted Palestinians’ safety.
Taking action was also in Israel’s “best interest,” Huckabee said, since “their reputation does not do well when it appears that this tiny little group of marauders are somehow representative of the larger population. I don’t believe that it is.”
“There may be a few hundred who are responsible, but that’s a few hundred too many,” he said.
