Qusra Siege Highlights Rising West Bank Settler Violence

The United Nations human rights agency and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates have condemned a prolonged Israeli settler siege of three Palestinian families in Qusra, an occupied West Bank village. Dozens of settlers have surrounded the families’ homes in the Ras al-Ain area for five nights, while the 15 residents—including two children—have reportedly been confined indoors with their water and electricity cut off since Sunday. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the settlers’ actions, which it said were supported or tolerated by Israel, appeared intended to force the families from their homes and land. It warned that the families faced imminent forcible displacement. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry described the attacks as “terroristic” and accused Israel of using settlers to advance policies of forced displacement and annexation. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also called the actions acts of “terror.” Al Jazeera reporter Nida Ibrahim said Israeli soldiers initially attempted to move the families from their homes, but the residents refused, fearing they would not be allowed to return. The families were eventually gathered in one house. Local residents and officials accused the Israeli army of protecting and cooperating with the settlers, despite the military’s claim that it had dismantled two illegal outposts and detained one Israeli. Qusra’s mayor said soldiers and settlers had been seen praying, barbecuing and dancing together. The article places the siege within a wider pattern of settler and military violence across the West Bank. Israeli forces issued demolition notices, carried out arrests, and supported or accompanied settler incursions in several locations. Settlers also reportedly re-established a settlement near Jenin and created a new outpost near Tulkarem. Residents said the violence has intensified because of settlement expansion and a lack of accountability for attackers.

Israeli forces ordered residents of about a dozen Palestinian homes in Qusra, an occupied West Bank village near Nablus, to leave during an operation aimed at removing Israeli settlers who had besieged three Palestinian houses. The settlers reportedly blocked access roads and cut off electricity and water supplies beginning on Sunday. Residents said that soldiers entered homes, forced families out, sealed off parts of the village and used some vacated houses as military barracks. Some families were allowed to return after approximately 10 hours, but said their homes had been overturned and that cash and food were missing. The Israeli Defense Forces said soldiers had been instructed to allow Qusra residents to remain in their homes and would not operate inside the house targeted by the settlers. The military also said it had dismantled two illegal outposts, detained one Israeli and confiscated equipment. Israeli officials condemned the settlers’ actions, describing them as unacceptable and promising investigations and arrests. The US ambassador, Mike Huckabee, called the intimidation a horrific act of terror. The article places the incident within a broader increase in settler violence, settlement expansion and Palestinian displacement across the West Bank. It reports that Qusra has experienced repeated attacks, including the burning of a mosque, while a Palestinian home in nearby Jalud has reportedly been occupied by settlers since its owners fled. United Nations figures cited by the BBC say that 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, have been killed in the West Bank this year, while 127 Palestinian communities have experienced full or partial displacement since January 2023. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, rejected the idea that settlements obstruct peace and said they would continue to expand.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned the siege of a Palestinian American family’s home in Qusra, an occupied West Bank village near Nablus, describing the actions of Israeli settlers as a “horrific act of terror.” The settlers reportedly gathered outside the home for several days, harassing the occupants, throwing stones, attempting to dismantle a nearby wall and preventing supplies from reaching the family. Qusai Abu Rida, who stayed in the house with his teenage son, said the Israeli military later moved them to another home, although they remained unable to leave the area. The home’s owner, Loui Ridi, said settlers had targeted the property for months. Huckabee said Israeli military and police entered the area at the request of the U.S. government to remove the settlers. The Israeli military called the siege “illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable,” declared the area a closed military zone, dismantled two illegal outposts and detained one Israeli settler. However, local officials said settlers returned and blocked roads with rocks. Qusra’s mayor said six homes had been evacuated and occupied by Israeli soldiers. The United Nations human rights office said the actions appeared aimed at forcing Palestinians from their homes and land. The incident comes amid a broader increase in settler violence across the West Bank, which has been condemned by human rights organizations and foreign governments, including Canada. Critics accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of tolerating or overlooking such attacks. Qusra is in a particularly volatile part of the northern West Bank. A mosque was set on fire there the previous month after violence triggered by the killing of an Israeli settler left four Palestinian villagers and two Israeli soldiers dead. The article also explains the wider dispute: Palestinians seek the West Bank for a future state, while Israeli settlers and their supporters claim the territory on historical, religious and security grounds. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law, although Israel disputes that position and supports their construction.