SAFA — The Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh is preparing to pursue civil lawsuits in U.S. courts against Israeli settlers and U.S.-based individuals and organizations accused of supporting settlement activities, as settler attacks and land seizures escalate across the occupied West Bank.

Taybeh Mayor Suleiman Khourieh said the municipality has contacted a U.S.-based human rights organization about bringing cases on behalf of residents who have been attacked, had property damaged or been prevented from accessing their land.

“We intend to file lawsuits in the U.S., because most of our lands are owned by people who hold American citizenship or green cards,” Khourieh told Anadolu.

He said potential cases could target individual Israeli settlers as well as U.S.-based individuals and associations accused of supporting settlements.

No lawsuits have yet been filed, and Khourieh did not identify the rights organization or prospective defendants. The municipality is currently documenting attacks and collecting information from affected residents as it explores possible legal action.

The strategy draws on Taybeh’s large diaspora, with many affected landowners holding U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

Khourieh said residents have faced escalating settler attacks, including arson, property destruction, theft and seizures of agricultural land. He said Palestinians have been prevented from accessing around 16,000 dunams, or approximately 4,000 acres, of land belonging to the town.

Taybeh, a predominantly Christian Palestinian town northeast of Ramallah known for its historic churches, has come under growing pressure from surrounding Israeli settlements and outposts. Residents have warned that settler attacks and restrictions on access to farmland are threatening their livelihoods and increasing pressure on Palestinians to leave.

The planned legal action comes amid a broader surge in Israeli settler attacks across the occupied West Bank and growing international scrutiny over the lack of accountability for perpetrators.

The issue has drawn particular attention in Washington as Palestinian Americans have increasingly been affected by settler violence.

During a September 5 visit to Turmus Ayya, another Palestinian town near Ramallah with a significant Palestinian-American population, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described violent acts by Israeli settlers as terrorism and called for perpetrators to face consequences.

“If there are squatters that come in and put up their own flags and take possession of something that does not belong to them, if they burn a car, if they torch a mosque, if they go into someone’s home and vandalize it, paint graffiti on the walls, that’s a criminal act. But it extends beyond a criminal act. It’s an act of terror,” Huckabee said.

For Taybeh, pursuing cases in U.S. courts represents an attempt to use the town’s extensive American connections to seek accountability beyond the Israeli legal system.

“We want to stop these aggressions and hold the perpetrators responsible,” Khourieh said.