US ambassador says Israel has responsibility to ensure West Bank Palestinians’ safety

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a longtime supporter of Israel and its settlers, said the Israeli government has a responsibility to protect Palestinians in the West Bank. He also called for “severe consequences” over violence during a visit to families affected by a surge in settler attacks.

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severe consequences

Huckabee visited the home of a Palestinian-American in Turmus Ayya that settlers have repeatedly targeted. He said he wanted to hear the community’s “legitimate grievances.” Around 80 percent of the town’s 4,000 residents hold US citizenship.

As the ambassador met families inside the town’s carefully maintained old house, a settler from a nearby illegal outpost approached on a quad bike. Huckabee said residents of such communities had a right to live with security and safety, and that the government had to ensure that protection.

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legitimate grievances

“One of the messages that we have been sending and we will continue to send is that people in these communities have a right to live with a level of security and safety, and that the government has a responsibility to make sure that that happens,” Huckabee said. The supplied report ends after noting Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

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One of the messages that we have been sending and we will continue to send is that people in these communities have a right to live with a level of security and safety, and that the government has a responsibility to make sure that that happens