US ambassador denounces settler siege as Israel dispatches troops

Israeli forces on Thursday moved against rogue settlers who have besieged Palestinians amid unusually strong US criticism, even as Israel inaugurated a major settlement elsewhere in the West Bank. 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 supplies. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, for years a staunch supporter of settlers,…