US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has rejected the term "settler violence", while saying that Israeli rioters in the area must be dealt with firmly.
In an interview with Kan News, Huckabee said, "I am very careful not to say 'settler violence,' because I think that is a mischaracterization. These are not the people who live in Judea and Samaria. The total number of people causing problems is probably just a few hundred, perhaps 400 or 500 people in all, many of whom do not even live there".
While rejecting the generalization, Huckabee condemned the acts themselves and stressed that there was no justification for tolerating violence and terrorist activity, regardless of the perpetrators' nationality. He said, "This kind of criminal conduct and terrorist activity should not be tolerated".
He added, "I have urged the Israelis to exact a price and punish criminals equally - whether it is Israelis committing the crime or Palestinians".
The ambassador also made clear that another US strike on Iran remains an option, although President Donald Trump prefers to reach a solution through negotiations.
He rejected the claim that the war in Iran had caused the Republican Party's defeat in the US midterm elections held last week. He said the election results should not be attributed to the war.
A substantial part of the interview focused on Israeli politics, after Trump expressed support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the election campaign and even claimed that he was the only one capable of striking Iran.
Asked whether the US president had made a mistake by backing Netanyahu, Huckabee said he had not. He said, "I think he was speaking as someone who has worked very closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu over many years. They have a very good relationship and a high level of trust, but the president has proven time and again that he can work with people from around the world who occupy different positions on the political spectrum. We have great respect for the fact that Israel holds regular elections in which the public votes. Clearly, we will work with the government the people have elected".