In the occupied West Bank, Taybeh Municipality, northeast of Ramallah, has begun efforts to bring settler attacks and the seizure of land and property before the U.S. justice system.
Mayor Suleiman Huriye said they were holding talks with a legal organization operating in the United States. Huriye said many victims in Taybeh are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and that this status could provide a legal basis for filing a case in U.S. courts.
Claim that Israeli courts failed to deliver results
Huriye said some Taybeh residents had previously approached Israeli courts over attacks and damage they had suffered. He argued that these applications had not produced a deterrent outcome or restored their rights, adding that the municipality had begun considering a judicial option outside Israel.
According to the mayor, the initiative aims to stop the attacks and ensure that those responsible are held accountable, rather than limiting the response to political condemnation.
Claim of restricted access to 16,000 dunams of land in Taybeh
Huriye alleged that attacks had been carried out against homes, land, livelihoods, animal shelters and horse farms in Taybeh. He said that, in addition to arson, theft and killings, racist slogans and threats had been written on house walls, and that residents of the town could not access 16,000 dunams of land.
It was stated that settlements and settler outposts around Taybeh were making it difficult to reach areas used for agriculture and livestock farming. The municipality argues that these attacks have driven families and young people to consider leaving.
Scope of U.S. lawsuits remains unclear
Following the talks with the legal organization, documents and records related to the attacks are expected to be prepared for the case files. Huriye said the organization they consulted considered the likelihood of the cases being accepted to be high.
According to Huriye's statement, the planned lawsuits are expected to name U.S. citizen settlers and some U.S.-based associations described as supporting the settlements. However, it remains unclear whether U.S. courts have jurisdiction over acts committed outside the United States and whether the plaintiffs' citizenship or permanent-resident status would provide a sufficient legal basis.
Huckabee's visit to Turmusayya
The preparations came days after U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Turmusayya, a Palestinian town near Ramallah. Huckabee said attacks targeting Palestinians' homes, vehicles and mosques should be treated as acts of terrorism rather than ordinary crimes, and called for those responsible to be investigated.
Huckabee said the U.S. Embassy did not have the authority to investigate crimes but could approach the Israeli government to address specific cases. Awad Abu Samra, a member of the municipal council, said that during the visit, settlers entered the eastern part of Turmusayya, about 100 meters from the location where the ambassador was present.
