US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made an unusually harsh statement Thursday that caught Israel's diplomatic establishment by surprise. Huckabee, known as a staunch supporter of Israel and the settlement enterprise, referred to settlers in Samaria as "Israeli terrorists" and revealed that the US Embassy had intervened directly with the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police to have them removed. Huckabee is the serving US ambassador to Israel, according to the embassy's official website.
So what exactly is happening around the Palestinian village of Qusra in Samaria, and how did the situation on the ground deteriorate to the point of extraordinary US intervention? Here is a breakdown of the affair.
This is another lie. @usembassyjlm has been VERY involved & the IDF & 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 is criminal. The WH hasn't "intervened" because we have kept DC… https://t.co/qrfnCYcOtB
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 13, 2026
The roots of the crisis
At the center of the current controversy is the Tel Talpiot outpost, near the Palestinian villages of Qusra and Jalud. The outpost has been evacuated several times over the past two years, but each time settlers returned to the site and reestablished it.
The latest escalation began in recent days, when the settlers went beyond simply returning to the original outpost site and began expanding their presence. They erected tents very close to homes in Qusra, including one directly on a Palestinian access path. Local residents said the new Israeli presence had frightened them and, in practice, restricted the movement of several families.
IDF response
The IDF responded forcefully. Even before the tents were evacuated, the IDF Spokesperson issued an unusually severe statement describing the settlers' actions as "illegal, reprehensible and unacceptable activity that harms the residents of the villages and the fabric of their lives."
In response to the tensions, the IDF took several significant steps.
A closed military zone order was imposed on the area, barring entry to anyone who was not a local resident. On Wednesday, IDF and Border Police forces arrived at the site, closed down the tent erected on the access path and evacuated the position. The military also decided to reinforce the sector with an additional infantry battalion in an effort to restore order and operational control and prevent further incidents, while placing additional forces on alert.
Troubling incidents on the ground
The events in Qusra also included several other problematic incidents. Footage circulated in recent days showed soldiers who had arrived at the site praying together with settlers inside one of the tents. The IDF said the incident was under review and made clear that if reserve or active-duty soldiers were found to have participated in illegal activity, they would face disciplinary action.
In a separate incident, an ambulance whose movement had been coordinated in advance arrived at a military crossing in the area en route to a Palestinian home inside the closed military zone. According to the IDF, Israeli civilians were found inside the ambulance and had attempted to use it to enter the restricted area. Soldiers consequently searched the vehicle, which was later also examined by Judea and Samaria District Police officers.
Huckabee's comments have now added an extraordinary diplomatic dimension to what had been a local incident. The US ambassador, long identified with strong support for Israel and the settlement movement, used the highly charged term "Israeli terrorists" and disclosed that the US Embassy had approached Israeli authorities and asked them to remove those involved.
"The embassy has been VERY involved, and the IDF and Israel Police have gone at our request to remove the Israeli terrorists doing this," Huckabee wrote. He described the actions against the Palestinian family as "criminal" and called the incident a "horrific act of terror" intended to intimidate and harass them.
The US angle
The intervention is particularly striking because the US ambassador, long identified with strong support for Israel and the settlement movement, chose to use the stark phrase "Israeli terrorists" and revealed that the US Embassy had pressed Israeli authorities to remove those involved.
The Qusra incident, which began with the reestablishment and expansion of an outpost that had previously been evacuated, has thus become an issue involving both the IDF and the US Embassy in Israel.
