U.S. Ambassador to Israel Huckabee argued that establishing Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in Area C of the West Bank does not violate the terms of the Oslo Accords reached in 1993.
Comments on Israeli attacks
Huckabee said violence should be condemned regardless of who commits it. He described it as “somewhat hypocritical” to react when Palestinians attack Israelis but not show the same response when Israelis attack Palestinians.
Using Israel’s term “Judea and Samaria” for the West Bank, Huckabee claimed that Israelis who attack Palestinians do not represent the majority of Israelis living in the area.
Proposal to settle the West Bank
Huckabee described Israelis who seize Palestinian land as “500,000 Israelis living extremely peacefully and raising their children to be good citizens.” He argued that Israelis who attack Palestinians represent a very small minority.
Huckabee said antisemitism was increasing around the world and predicted that more Jews would immigrate to Israel. He suggested that it would be logical to settle some of the new arrivals in the West Bank.
The attack in Qusra
Armed, masked Israelis attacked Palestinians in the town of Qusra in Nablus governorate in the West Bank, while Israeli army personnel who arrived at the scene also beat Palestinians.
Huckabee had previously described the attackers who besieged a Palestinian family’s home in Qusra as “Israeli terrorists.” After Israeli attackers tried to set fire to a mosque in the town of Bizarya, the Hebrew phrases written on the walls included the words “Greetings from the terrorists,” directed at Huckabee.
Huckabee said images of masked youths seizing Palestinians’ homes and attacking international journalists were damaging Israel’s reputation both within the Republican Party and around the world.
