Israeli militants besiege two Palestinian families in their West Bank homes
Israeli militants have besieged two Palestinian families in their homes since the weekend, aiming to take over their properties in the West Bank village of Qusra through a campaign of terror.
A group of settlers and soldiers set up a tent outside the home of Yousef Hassan’s family on Sunday afternoon, trapping him inside with his wife and two young daughters.
The Israeli men gathered just metres away from the spot where 28-year-old Amir Moatasem Odeh was killed by a settler in March. Another attacker stabbed his father. No one has been arrested over the murder and assault.
“Every night, the settlers throw stones, use obscene language and shout during the night. We are living in a state of terror,” Hassan said. His mother, brother and sister, and three neighbours have also been blockaded inside, and their power and water have been cut off.
Settlers used the same tactics to steal another Palestinian home in neighbouring Jalud village, driving the al Tubasi family out in July after a months-long siege.
They cut off water and electricity to the homes, although a solar panel allows Hassan to keep some devices charged in Qusra. They have also blocked medical care.
When his younger daughter, aged two, fell ill with vomiting and a high fever on Monday, settlers blocked an ambulance from reaching the house. The girls and their mother were eventually evacuated on Tuesday.
Hassan said those in the house were short on food and were drinking water and juice delivered by the ambulance that came to collect his daughter. “The situation is extremely dire.”
On Wednesday morning, the commander of Israeli forces in the region, Gen Avi Bluth, visited the families and promised to lift the siege, an Israeli military spokesperson said. Hassan confirmed the visit.
“Today, the area commander came and spoke with us and assured us that he would evacuate the settlers. For the first time, I feel that there is some seriousness on the part of the army in dealing with the settlers,” Hassan said, but added that it had not yet produced tangible results.
Soldiers removed the tent but not the bedding and other possessions and, after brief clashes with the settlers, withdrew. “The settlers are still there in front of the house, and we are still unable to leave.”
An Israeli military spokesperson said commanders were “gravely concerned” about the settlers’ actions and that soldiers who supported them would face disciplinary action, but declined to give a timeline for lifting the siege.
On Wednesday evening, the chief of the general staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, met other senior commanders to discuss the situation in Qusra. He ordered a battalion of infantry reservists back from leave to reinforce troops in the West Bank.
“The battalion, which is currently undergoing a period of refreshment and training, will be deployed to the sector in order to strengthen operational control. Furthermore, additional soldiers will remain on standby for deployment as necessary,” a military spokesperson said.
The military was working with the police to bring “those responsible for the disturbances to justice”, the spokesperson added.
The incident has become an international issue for Israel. On Thursday, the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who supports the wider settler movement, called the group who surrounded the homes “Israeli terrorists”.
Israeli militants target Palestinians with near total impunity in the occupied West Bank. Since 2020, Israeli civilians and soldiers have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians there, and there has been only one indictment over those deaths.
Violence is deployed as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing. Israel has forcibly displaced 64 Palestinian communities over the past three years, the rights group B’Tselem said. Fifteen other communities have lost residents, with more than 4,800 people driven from their homes.
“What is happening in Qusra is not an isolated incident,” said B’Tselem’s executive director, Yuli Novak.
“Settler militias, backed by the Israeli military, are expanding their attacks into Palestinian villages and towns – seizing land, attacking homes and forcing families out. Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the West Bank is accelerating and expanding in plain sight.”
Dozens of Israelis from the country’s security, political and cultural elite have threatened legal action against their government over its failure to tackle “Jewish terrorism” in the occupied West Bank.
As the occupying power in the West Bank, Israel is responsible under international law for ensuring the safety of Palestinian civilians and meeting their basic needs.
The Israeli military has declared the area a closed military zone and blocked journalists from approaching the Palestinian homes. Israeli settlers are subject to the same orders but have not been removed.
Sufian Taha contributed reporting
Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.
