Jerusalem, Israel - The US' ambassador to Israel, a staunch supporter of West Bank settlements, on Thursday made the rare move of denouncing settler violence and "terror" siege tactics against Palestinians.

Settlers near Nablus since Sunday have blockaded Palestinian homes, including one owned by a US citizen, with residents saying they have been cut off from food and other crucial supplies.

"Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador in Jerusalem, wrote on X. "No excuse for such thuggish behavior."

Huckabee said Israel had intervened militarily at the request of the US, and insisted that it "is simply untrue" that the US embassy "doesn't care."

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The US Embassy in Jerusalem "has been VERY involved & the IDF & Israel Police have gone at our request to remove the Israeli terrorists doing this. The actions of those doing this to this family's home is criminal," he said.

The remarks are surprising from Huckabee, an evangelical Christian pastor who has long embraced Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has illegally occupied since 1967. He rejects the idea of an independent Palestinian state.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) did intervene on Wednesday, sending in troops who took away a tent but allowed settlers to remain at the site.

The army on Wednesday announced it would send a new battalion to try to impose order.

Extreme violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank has increased dramatically over recent years, with regular shootings and clashes leaving scores of Palestinians dead with minimal intervention from Israeli authorities.

More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law, while about three million Palestinians preside in the territory.