The United States Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, made a rare visit today (Saturday) to the Palestinian village of At-Taybeh, located east of Ramallah, near Jerusalem.
At the end of his visit, the ambassador tweeted that it is a "quiet village, with many American citizens, affected by vandalism - including arsons at an ancient church. Desecrating a church, mosque, or synagogue is a crime against humanity and against God."
"I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime I will demand those responsible be held accountable with real consequences. Was in Taybeh today to meet with people of that village to listen & learn."
At the end of the visit, he issued a special statement to the village: "Thank you to the people of Taybeh for giving us the opportunity to come and see first-hand some of the things that have happened."
"One thing that we strongly agree on is that any desecration to a holy place - it doesn’t matter whether it’s a church, a mosque, or a synagogue - it’s unacceptable. To commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship, it is an act of terror, and it is a crime. There should be consequences, and it should be harsh consequences because it is one of the last bastions of our civilization, the places where we worship."
"I myself am a Christian, but I would never desecrate a mosque or a synagogue. Those who would worship in a synagogue should never desecrate a church or a mosque, and those who worship in a mosque should never desecrate a church or a synagogue. It’s that simple. And what has happened here is an absolute travesty, and it’s my desire to do everything possible to let the people of this peaceful village know that we will certainly insist that those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh - or anywhere -- be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that’s not enough. People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs, not just to other people, but that which belongs to God. That is a sacrilege. It’s against the Holy."
"I’m very grateful for the conversation that we were able to have here today. It was a very honest, candid conversation, and we heard things that we needed to hear today. What we needed to hear were the specifics, exactly what has happened. And we were supplied with information that was very helpful, and it was not general, but it was very definite."
"I have a lot of our staff here from the Embassy who are with me today, and we come to express solidarity with the people who just want to live their lives in peace, be able to go to their own land, be able to go to their place of worship. This is a Christian community, largely, and it’s one that deserves respect and deserves to be treated with dignity. Nothing short of that."
"I want to thank the Mayor for his kindness and his hospitality today. The people of the community have been remarkable in their gracious and nice welcome of us, and it means a lot. We leave from here, I hope, with a sense of friendship. We thank you very, very much."
The visit took place two days after the incident in the Gaza Strip during which the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip was mistakenly damaged by an IDF attack.
The IDF simultaneously announced the findings of the initial investigation of the event, stating: "Shrapnel from a shell fired during operational activity in the area accidentally hit the church. The source of the event is under investigation."
Yesterday, the Vatican announced that Netanyahu and the Pope discussed the damage to the church: "This morning, in his residence at Castel Gandolfo, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, following yesterday’s military attack by the Israeli army that struck the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, killing three people and injuring others, including some seriously," said the Press Office in a statement.
"During the conversation," it noted, "the Holy Father repeated his appeal for a renewed push for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war."
Moreover, it added, Pope Leo "again expressed his concern about the tragic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose children, elderly, and sick are paying an agonizing price."
"Finally," the statement concluded, "the Holy Father reiterated the urgent need to protect places of worship and, especially, the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel."