JERUSALEM — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denounced a siege by Israeli settlers against Palestinian homes in the West Bank as "terror" on Thursday, after an initial Israeli military intervention failed to disperse the settlers.
Settlers near the city of Nablus have blockaded Palestinian residences since Sunday, cutting off residents from food and other essential supplies. One of the affected homes belongs to a U.S. citizen.
Huckabee addressed the situation on X, responding to criticism of the U.S. response. "Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," he said, adding there was "no excuse for such thuggish behavior." He said Israel had intervened at the United States' request.
The remarks are striking given Huckabee's past support for Jewish settlement in the West Bank and his rejection of a Palestinian state.
The Israeli military sent forces to the site on Wednesday and removed a tent, but witnesses saw settlers remain at the location with blankets. The army said later Wednesday it would deploy a new battalion to restore order.
Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has risen sharply since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements there, which are considered illegal under international law. Approximately three million Palestinians live in the territory.
KHARTOUM — Paramilitary drones attacked the Sudanese capital for a second consecutive day on Thursday, according to an AFP correspondent and witnesses. Anti-aircraft missiles were fired from Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city, followed by an explosion.
Sudan has been at war since April 2023, pitting the Sudanese military, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, Burhan's former deputy.
The latest drone assault followed coordinated RSF strikes the previous day on five army-controlled cities hundreds of kilometers apart. An army source said military air defenses engaged and downed the drones.
Witnesses in central Khartoum and Khartoum North, across the Nile River, reported seeing drones and hearing explosions. The United Nations describes the conflict as a "war of atrocities."
Aid organizations estimate more than 200,000 people have been killed across Sudan. The war has also created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises. Burhan and Daglo, once allies, have held a relative stalemate through most of the fighting.
