The United States views stability in the West Bank as directly tied to Israel’s security, a State Department official told The Jerusalem Post, as the Trump administration turns increased attention to recent violence in the territory.
The comments come after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee used unusually strong language to condemn Israelis involved in violence against a Palestinian family in Qusra, calling them “Israeli terrorists” and describing the incident as a “horrific act of terror.”
“We are in regular dialogue with partners about improving stability and security in the West Bank,” the State Department official said. “We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank.”
“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” the spokesperson added.
The State Department’s comments broaden the administration’s message beyond the specific incident in Qusra that prompted Huckabee’s unusually forceful remarks, framing stability in the West Bank as part of both Israel’s security interests and Washington’s broader regional agenda.
Huckabee said Thursday that the US Embassy had intervened with Israeli authorities over the harassment of a Palestinian family in the West Bank village of Kusra, rejecting claims that US officials had failed to act and describing those responsible as "Israeli terrorists."
"This is another lie," Huckabee wrote on X/Twitter, responding to a claim concerning the US response to the incident. "The embassy has been VERY involved, and the IDF and Israel Police have gone at our request to remove the Israeli terrorists doing this."
"The actions of those doing this to this family’s home are criminal," Huckabee continued. "The WH hasn’t 'intervened' because we have kept DC apprised of the situation already."
West Bank settler violence escalates
Huckabee’s comments came after a senior White House official told KAN News that the US believes Israel is not doing enough to prevent West Bank settler violence.
According to the KAN report, the official plans to broach the issue with the Prime Minister’s Office and have it explain why the security establishment has not been able to get the situation under control.
Ongoing tensions between Jewish settler extremists and West Bank Palestinians escalated after a group of extremists imposed a makeshift siege on Palestinian homes in the village of Kusra on Wednesday.
When IDF troops and Border Police arrived in the area of the village and evacuated a settler outpost in an attempt to remove the settler extremists, clashes broke out, and as of Wednesday evening, the settlers still have not been removed from the village.