What we know about Israeli settlers' siege on Palestinian homes in Qusra

For almost a week, Israeli settlers with military support have besieged Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, aiming to force them from their homes and take over their properties. This incident has reignited a surge in settler violence following the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Qusra, located south of the major Palestinian city of Nablus, is a hotspot for settler violence due to the concentration of ideological settlements like Shiloh, Eli, and Yitzhar. The village sits in Area B, where Israel is supposed to have military control with Palestinian Authority civil control. Despite Israel's supposed control over Area C, violence has spread to other areas as well.

On Sunday, settlers established an outpost near homes on the village's edges, barring the families' exit and launching a siege to compel residents to leave their homes. The families have since reported dwindling supplies of food, water, and medicine.

Israel's military has issued statements regarding the siege but has not moved decisively to intervene. Soldiers have arrived in the area on several occasions, confiscating materials and claiming to dismantle outposts, only for settlers to rebuild the camps after the military departs. Soldiers have even been seen praying with the besieging settlers, raising accusations that the military may be siding with the attackers.

The Palestinian Authority has called for international intervention to halt the violence. Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa personally spoke with the mayor of Qusra on Friday. Israel's government, however, has remained silent on the matter.

Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to transfer responsibility for civilian law enforcement to the Israeli police in the West Bank, a move criticized by some as facilitating Israel's de facto annexation of the territory. Far-left Israeli politicians have denounced the siege as a form of apartheid, accusing the besieged families of being denied essential supplies and medical care.

The US Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the perpetrators as "Israeli terrorists" but later defended the settlement project, praising a settler leader who supports applying Israeli law in the West Bank. The US has expressed a desire for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn the siege.