US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has issued a pointed warning to extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank, saying that taking property belonging to Palestinian Americans amounts to “a violation of God’s law.”

Huckabee, a Baptist minister and prominent supporter of Israeli settlements, told Reuters that settlers accused of participating in the siege of Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Kusra, including the residence of Palestinian American Loui Ridi, could potentially face US sanctions.

Israeli settlers began surrounding homes in Kusra on August 9, according to rights organizations that described the action as an effort to take control of privately owned Palestinian land. The incident has prompted condemnation internationally.

The Israeli military subsequently sent dozens of troops into the area and pushed the settlers away from the targeted homes. However, the settlers have remained in the vicinity, while residents such as Ridi say they are concerned the groups could return and attempt to enter their properties after the military presence is reduced.

Asked what message President Donald Trump’s administration had for settlers contemplating the seizure of homes or land in the West Bank belonging to Palestinian Americans, Huckabee, who last week described those responsible as “Israeli terrorists” invoked principles from Jewish and Christian scripture.

“I think the message is bigger than just even the Trump administration. It’s a message of basic civility and civilized behavior,” Huckabee told Reuters in Jerusalem.

“You don’t take something that doesn’t belong to you.”

‘Though shalt not steal,’ Huckabee tells settlers

US officials estimate that tens of thousands of Palestinian Americans reside in the West Bank. Many live in a group of communities situated between Ramallah and Nablus, including the village of Kusra.

Ridi told Reuters from his Kusra home on Thursday that he has been communicating with Huckabee’s staff at the US embassy in Jerusalem. He said, however, that Israeli settlers continued to harass him in the vicinity of his property.

Referring to the Ten Commandments, Huckabee said: “Thou shalt not steal” and emphasized that people should not take or “covet” or “desire” property belonging to someone else.

“If someone owns the land and they own their house, then having someone come and take it over and scare the family away from it, that’s a violation, not just of man’s law. That’s a violation of God’s law,” said Huckabee, a Republican former governor of the US state of Arkansas.

Huckabee is the first evangelical Christian to hold the position of US ambassador to Israel. He has consistently backed Israeli settlements in the West Bank and commonly uses the biblical terms Judea and Samaria to describe the territory. While those terms are used by the Israeli government, the US government does not officially adopt them.

At the same time, Huckabee defended Israeli settlements more broadly, arguing that violent extremists constitute only a small portion of the settler population. He said most settlers “just want to raise their families in Judea and Samaria peacefully and with a level of security.”

Palestinians and organizations supporting them reject that characterization, arguing that Israeli settlements take up land intended for a future independent Palestinian state. The United Nations and most governments regard the settlements as contrary to international law, while Israel rejects that position.

US ‘appalled’ by what happened in Kusra

Huckabee said the United States was “appalled” by the events in Kusra. He characterized the Palestinian families targeted by the settlers as victims of “inexcusable and repugnant” criminal conduct and said Israelis found responsible should face serious consequences under Israeli law.

The ambassador also warned that individuals determined to have participated could potentially face American sanctions, including restrictions on entering the United States. He added, however, that he was not aware of any such measures currently being considered.

Israeli police have not publicly announced arrests or charges against settlers allegedly involved in the siege of the Palestinian homes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also not issued a public statement about the incident. A senior settler leader, however, has condemned the actions attributed to the settlers.