The United States is pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to condemn the siege by Jewish settlers of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank town of Qusra, according to a U.S. and an Israeli official. Settlers continued their activities in the area despite the deployment of Israeli forces.
اضافة اعلان
Settlers have surrounded three homes in Qusra for nearly a week, leaving around 15 Palestinians, including two children, trapped inside without water or electricity, according to the United Nations.
The two officials said Washington began pressuring Netanyahu after learning that one of those trapped was a Palestinian-American citizen.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Thursday described the settlers besieging one of the homes as “Israeli terrorists”, in a rare public criticism of settler actions.
The U.S. pressure comes as Netanyahu faces an election scheduled for October 27. Condemning the settlers could carry political risks for him, given his right-wing coalition’s reliance on support from settler voters.
In Qusra, a Palestinian woman living in one of the besieged homes said settlers remained around the property. Video footage also showed groups of settlers moving near the homes.
The Israeli military said its forces had removed a tent erected by settlers in the area and that troops had been deployed in Qusra to protect residents and maintain security.
Earlier footage showed men wearing Israeli military uniforms praying alongside settlers inside a tent.
The military said it was taking disciplinary action against any soldier involved in such activities.
The West Bank has experienced a rise in settler violence since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023, while the Israeli government continues to expand settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
