In a rare and pointed rebuke of Israeli policy in the West Bank, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for an “aggressive investigation” into the killing of 20-year-old Palestinian-American Saif Musalat, who was allegedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the village of Sinjil near Ramallah last week.

“There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old,” Huckabee wrote in a post on X, marking one of his first public statements addressing the growing crisis of settler violence.

The ambassador stopped short of using the term “settler violence” or labeling the killing part of a broader pattern, but the message nonetheless represents a shift for Huckabee, a longtime ally of Israel’s right-wing government and an outspoken supporter of Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

The U.S. has previously condemned settler violence in general terms, but Huckabee’s direct call for justice in a specific case involving a Palestinian-American citizen underscores mounting pressure on Washington to take a firmer stance.

Christian Palestinian activists—already alarmed by recent attacks on the Christian village of Taybeh—have circulated a petition urging Huckabee to condemn rising attacks by settlers, some of which have reportedly targeted Christian holy sites and communities.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)