U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a staunch zionist, recently made waves when he referred to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank as “terrorists.”
“It’s an act of terror,” Huckabee said. “I’ve been criticized a little bit for calling that terror, but terror is when a person is forced to change his or her behavior because of the behavior of someone else who is trying to use intimidation to make them afraid to live in their own homes, to make their children afraid to play in their own yards, to be able to walk their own streets.”
Huckabee’s remarks came after he met with Palestinian Americans living in the town of Turmus Ayya, who described to him the ways in which the Israeli settlers terrorize their communities.
Violence in the West Bank has escalated in recent months, as fanatical settlers have besieged countless Palestinian homes and villages across the region. There have also been several high-profile instances of Americans being victimized by this wave of attacks, including Rep. Ro Khanna and his staff, who said they were confronted by armed settlers near Khirbet Zanuta. An NBC News crew was also assaulted by a mob of Israeli settlers, a clash which was caught on video.
The “terrorist” label is a particularly touchy one in Israel, as it is generally reserved only for Palestinian acts of violence. It is said that contrary to the barbaric behavior of the Palestinians, Israeli forces act with the utmost precision and intentionality. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describes the Israeli army as “the most moral army in the world.”
American officials and politicians seek to spread the narrative that Israeli forces go out of their way to avoid civilian casualties. This is simply propaganda to provide political cover for Israel’s actions. Their efforts to demolish entire neighborhoods, shoot women and children, and bomb civilian infrastructure are generally shrugged off or ignored by U.S. officials, and are almost never labeled “terrorism.”
Huckabee, in a surprising moment, diverted from the ritualistic downplaying of Israeli violence and instead decided to use such a label.
Many have questioned the significance of this move, and what it materially amounts to in the broader scope of the U.S.’ relationship with Israel. The U.S. has long been opposed to an Israeli annexation of the West Bank because it would not be conducive with America’s supposed wish to see a two-state solution. The settlements, on the other hand, have been condemned in a more selective manner.
In a certain sense, it is refreshing to hear the slightest bit of consistency from an American official when applying the word “terrorism.” However, when we get down to brass tacks, there seems to be no material shift in the Trump administration’s policy on the West Bank. The U.S. possesses incredible leverage over Israel – both in terms of military and financial aid – and could compel the Netanyahu government to step in and put a stop to the unhinged settler movement. Despite this, words of condemnation are all we have seen so far.
Huckabee’s recent response to British criticism of Israel demonstrated the limits of his condemnation. On September 4, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel of blocking medicine from entering Gaza. In response to this claim, Huckabee said that the British government was infested with “Jew hate.” Just a quick note: Miliband is Jewish, so calling him a Jew hater is rather bizarre.
As much as this accusation against Israel may upset Huckabee, that does not change its validity. Doctors Without Borders, a medical humanitarian organization, has explained the difficulties surrounding getting aid into Gaza, and they have said that the Israeli government is making it incredibly hard to provide Gazans with medical attention.
Britain’s Ed Miliband also announced on September 8 that the U.K. would be banning imports from settlements in the West Bank, which he called “illegal.” He also described the settlement expansion as “ethnic cleansing.” This struck an especially sensitive chord with American zionists like Rep. Randy Fine and Mark Levin, who are now calling on American state governments to boycott the U.K. in response. Huckabee, who himself called the Israeli settlers “terrorists,” once again reiterated his accusations of antisemitism against the British government in an appearance on BBC Radio 4 Today.
According to these people, it is the duty of American state governments to sacrifice the financial stability of their own citizens in order to virtue-signal on Israel’s behalf. This is brazen prioritization of a foreign nation over our own, and it should outrage us all.
The lack of credibility Huckabee has on the issue of Israeli expansion should also be taken into account. Back in February, he did an interview with Tucker Carlson. Carlson asked Huckabee if it would be justified for Israel to expand into both Gaza and the West Bank, as well as countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria in order to fulfill what the ambassador claims is God’s promise to his chosen people.
Huckabee responded “It would be fine if they took it all.”
This caused immediate regional backlash, with over a dozen nations, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Syria putting out a joint statement calling Huckabee’s remarks “dangerous.”
While he claims to be against the violence being committed by Israelis in the West Bank, he openly admits to being in support of the expansionist ideology that fuels the settler movement. How can he have it both ways?
Although the ambassador’s original condemnation of settler violence may have seemed at first to be a shocking moment, it likely means very little in the broader scope of the U.S.-Israel “special relationship.” There is no sign of a major policy shift occurring within the Trump administration anytime soon to pressure Israel into complying with our wishes. Instead, we just sit back quietly and helplessly, pretending that we don’t fund the entire campaign of regional warfare that Israel is waging against its neighbors.
The United States does not need to be involved in this Israeli project of slowly stealing Palestinian land in the West Bank, but by continuing to militarily and financially aid it, the U.S. government is complicit. Thus, we continue down this road, where government officials will, on occasion, openly acknowledge the heinous crimes of Israeli terrorists, while continuing to materially support them. We lose both financially and morally, while Israel expands.
Nolan Denaro is a political analyst, writer, and host of “The Quest For Clarity” podcast, available on YouTube and Spotify. He is a columnist at Antiwar.com, and his work has been published by Responsible Statecraft, the Libertarian Institute, The Daily Caller, and the Ludwig von Mises Institute. He writes on U.S. foreign policy, economics, and current events, with a particular focus on war and imperialism. He writes opinion pieces on his Substack, and you can follow him on X @nolandenaro. Nolan can be reached for correspondence at nolansdenaro@icloud.com.
