4 minWorld
US ambassador to Israel faces backlash for failing to condemn attack on American news crew
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee drew criticism Saturday after he did not mention an attack on an NBC News crew in the occupied West Bank, instead praising Israeli officials' statements and calling on the Palestinian Authority to condemn violence against Israel.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee faced sharp criticism Saturday after he failed to condemn an attack on an American news crew in the occupied West Bank, drawing accusations that he prioritizes Israeli interests over the protection of U.S. citizens.
A three-person NBC News crew was reporting near the Palestinian village of Jalud when a vehicle with Israeli license plates accelerated toward them, according to the outlet. The attackers then got out of the car and beat the journalists before fleeing. Correspondent Matt Bradley was hit twice in the arm and later treated at a nearby clinic. Aida Ahmed Abdullah, a Palestinian woman being interviewed by the crew, was also injured in the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Saturday condemning the attacks, calling them “acts of violence” that harm “Israel’s standing in the world.” His statement did not mention that Americans were among the victims. Huckabee responded to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials by calling their remarks “strong statements,” but he similarly made no reference to the assault on the American journalists. He also urged the Palestinian Authority to “join in condemning violence against Israel by Palestinians.”
The ambassador’s response prompted outrage from journalists and foreign policy analysts. Jasper Nathaniel, a journalist covering the West Bank and Israeli settler violence, wrote on X that “there is literally nothing in this statement to indicate that it’s the U.S. ambassador to Israel talking about Israeli violence against Americans,” adding that it “reads entirely like a statement by an Israeli official.”
NBC News contributor Hooman Majd suggested Huckabee’s allegiance lies more with Israel than with the United States, urging the Trump administration official to “protect American citizens.” “You're the American ambassador, not the spokesman for the Israeli government,” Majd wrote on X. “Rather than congratulating the IDF and the Israeli FM, take a moment to protect American citizens trying to do their job.”
Foreign policy analyst Trita Parsi went further, suggesting Israeli officials had reason to believe Huckabee would not defend the attacked Americans. “When you read about members of an NBC News Team being beaten by Israeli settlers today in the West Bank, it's important to note two things: The settlers wouldn't do this to Americans had they not received a green light from the Israeli gov,” Parsi wrote. “And Israel's gov would not have given such a green light unless it felt confident that the US gov — and Amb. Huckabee — wouldn't lift a finger to defend the Americans.”
Huckabee has previously appeared to endorse the concept of “Greater Israel,” which refers to the territorial aspirations of some Israelis to significantly expand the nation’s borders. Netanyahu, who was indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, said as recently as last August that he “absolutely” subscribed to a “vision” for “Greater Israel.”
The attack on the NBC News crew is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, where international journalists and Palestinian residents have reported growing tensions. The U.S. State Department has not yet issued a public statement on the attack.
