US urges Netanyahu to condemn settlers besieging Palestinians in West Bank
The United States is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn Israeli settlers who have besieged Palestinian homes in Qusra, while France is calling for their arrest and prosecution. As residents remain cut off from food and other supplies, settler violence is putting further political pressure on Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s election.
About a dozen Palestinian households in the West Bank village of Qusra were forced to leave their homes by Israeli troops. The settlers had besieged the residents in three houses for several days, cutting off their power and water supplies. The mayor of Qusra, Abdel Azim Wadi, stated that the village had been declared a closed military zone, and the Israeli forces were using some of the vacated Palestinian homes as barracks.
The Israeli military claimed they were protecting the residents, while an Israeli spokesman called the settlers' actions "deplorable" and "unacceptable." The Israeli army is investigating the matter and plans to arrest and prosecute those responsible. The settlers have been emboldened by the rapid expansion of settlements under the current Israeli government, leading to a rise in settler violence as they attempt to drive Palestinians off their land.
All settlements are illegal under international law. Residents of the besieged families, including the Abu Ridi and Hassan families, were told to leave their homes on Thursday, with two families having already moved into the third house. Eleven other houses in Qusra were also ordered to vacate by the army. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported dismantling two illegal outposts and detaining one Israeli, confiscating equipment near Qusra and Jalud areas, near Nablus.
One resident, Qaher Odeh, recounted how more than 20 soldiers entered his house on Thursday morning, armed with a bulldozer and other security vehicles. The IDF stated that residents will remain in their homes, but the soldiers have not operated inside the Palestinian home that faced the settler siege. Local families reported that the soldiers returned to upturn their homes, stealing food and cash.
The situation escalated after settlers blocked the road to the village and cut off power and water supplies on Sunday, prompting Israeli soldiers to pray with the settlers, an act that the IDF said would result in discipline. The US Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the settlers' actions as a "horrific act of terror," emphasizing that such behavior is unacceptable.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
