France on Friday condemned the “occupation” of Palestinian homes by settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Qusra and called on Israel to arrest and prosecute those responsible.
اضافة اعلان
In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry said: “France strongly condemns the occupation by Israeli settlers of several Palestinian homes in Qusra in the West Bank, as well as the violence committed against Palestinian civilians. It calls on the Israeli authorities to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.”
On Friday, Israeli forces also prevented a number of Israeli and foreign activists from reaching three homes that have been surrounded by settler groups for nearly a week in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra, south of Nablus. Around 15 Palestinians, including two children, are living in the homes under difficult humanitarian conditions, with continued restrictions on access to basic necessities, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi said Israeli forces prevented the activists from reaching the three homes while settler groups continued to surround the families and block access to them, including the delivery of aid and essential supplies.
He added that Israeli forces had forcibly removed Italian activists who had managed to reach the homes several days earlier, following attacks by settlers and the surrounding of the area.
Settler groups began surrounding the homes at the start of the week, blocking access roads with rocks and erecting a tent nearby. They also prevented family members from entering or leaving the homes and from receiving visitors, while cutting off water and electricity.
The besieged families have been under sustained pressure for days. The United Nations confirmed that around 15 Palestinians, including two children, remain trapped inside the homes and are struggling to meet their basic needs because of the lack of water and electricity.
The Abdel Salam and Abu Rida families have issued an urgent appeal to international and humanitarian organizations to intervene and lift the siege, amid continued settler attacks in the area for more than four months and attempts to establish an outpost there.
