Following alleged arson attacks near an ancient Christian church in the West Bank, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee toured the area and condemned all violence. In early July, numerous blazes occurred near the ruins of the fifth-century Church of Saint George, located in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh.
Reports of the fires’ cause and the extent of the damage are conflicting. According to Israeli police, reports that Jewish settlers started the blazes are “factually incorrect,” and the holy site suffered “no damage or harm.”
Huckabee, a longtime supporter of Israel, visited Taybeh on July 19, saying he wanted to “express solidarity with the people who just want to live their lives in peace, to be able to go to their own land, to be able to go to their place of worship.”
The ambassador added, “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mosque, a church, a synagogue. It’s unacceptable to commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship.”
Purveyors of terror anywhere should be prosecuted, Huckabee said. “People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs not just to other people, but that which belongs to God,” he told a group of reporters.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee Condemns Desecration of Worship Sites
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. presidential candidate, posted images from his visit to Taybeh, located south of Jerusalem. “Desecrating a church, mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity & God,” he captioned a photo on X.
Huckabee also posted, “I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian [areas]. When they are terrorized or victims of crime I will demand those responsible be held accountable [with] real consequences.”
In the comments section, some people urged Huckabee to take a stronger stand against Israel’s “illegal occupation and oppression” of Palestine.
Last week, the ambassador called for an investigation into the death of Saif Musallet, a Palestinian American man who was killed while visiting family in the West Bank. “There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act,” wrote Huckabee.
Last month, Huckabee suggested that “Muslim countries” surrender some of their land to create a Palestinian state. “Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that are controlled by Israel,” he told the BBC. “So maybe, if there is such a desire for the Palestinian state, there would be someone who would say, ‘We’d like to host it.’”
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Previously, Huckabee said there is “no such thing as a West Bank” and “no such thing as a Palestinian.”
