Dozens of masked Israeli settler extremists carried out an assault on homes near the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, marking a significant attack following a recent siege by settlers in the area that garnered international attention.
During the incident, the settlers besieged a Palestinian residence, pelting it with stones while seven Palestinians remained trapped inside, according to witnesses interviewed by Reuters. Saddam Oday, one of the individuals trapped, recounted that the Israeli military deployed tear gas into the house and detained its occupants while releasing him. Notably, the military did not arrest any of the settlers and permitted them to depart.
Luay Bayrudi, the homeowner, stated that upon the military’s arrival, soldiers handcuffed, blindfolded, and physically assaulted the individuals inside before eventually setting them free. The Israeli military affirmed in a statement that their forces had intervened to disperse “rioters” and safeguard the residents within the dwelling.
In his initial public response to the events in Qusra, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the violence and attributed it to a “few rioters.” He condemned the criminal acts in Qusra and a neighboring village, Jalud, where a separate incident occurred.
Residents reported frequent incursions by settlers, with Bayrudi mentioning that after seeking aid from the Israeli military, he and six others were trapped in the house for over an hour while enduring a barrage of stones from the assailants. Oday, a medic, disclosed that four of the trapped individuals sustained injuries due to tear gas exposure and two were hurt by the settlers’ stone-throwing.
The assault unfolded close to three residences that had been under siege earlier in the month, prompting global censure and a significant military presence that effectively confined the inhabitants to their homes. Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American residing in one of the besieged homes, witnessed the attack and highlighted the persistent intrusions by Israeli settlers in the vicinity despite heightened military presence.
Advocacy groups argue that the escalating settler presence near Palestinian villages like Qusra is part of a broader strategy to annex more land from Palestinians, encroaching on territory crucial for a future Palestinian state. Violence instigated by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank has surged, with some emboldened by the policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who oversaw a substantial expansion of settlements in the region. Netanyahu has not issued any statements specifically addressing the situation in Qusra.
The Israeli military pledged to continue operations in Qusra and the neighboring Jalud to quell disruptions and reinstate order in the region. While most countries and the United Nations consider the settlements illegal under international law governing military occupations, Israel disputes this classification, viewing the area as contested rather than occupied.
