Washington escalates tone: 'Violence in the West Bank harms Israel's security'

A senior US State Department official told Walla that Washington is in ongoing dialogue with its partners about stability in the West Bank, and condemns 'criminal violence by any party.' The remarks come after US Ambassador Mike Huckabee sharply attacked Jews who assaulted a Palestinian family in the village of Qusra, calling them 'Israeli terrorists' and the act 'a terrible act of terrorism.'

A senior US State Department official said today (Thursday) to Walla that Washington is in ongoing dialogue with its partners regarding stability and security in the West Bank, and clarified that the United States condemns 'criminal violence by any party.' According to him, maintaining stability in the West Bank is a direct security interest of Israel. These remarks come following recent events in Judea and Samaria, and after the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, published this morning a sharp statement against Jews who committed violence against a Palestinian family in the village of Qusra. Huckabee rejected claims that the embassy did not act, and argued that it was 'very involved' and that the IDF and Israel Police arrived at the scene at its request. He called the perpetrators 'the Israeli terrorists who do this' and the act 'this terrible act of terrorism.' The official's remarks expand the message beyond the Qusra incident and place the violence in a broader context of regional stability.