West Bank17 August, 20263 min read
Hakeem Jeffries Urges Trump Administration To Pressure Israel After West Bank Settler Violence Kills 18
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Hakeem Jeffries urged Trump administration to pressure Israel to protect Palestinians in West Bank. West Bank settler violence escalated, with homes sieged and civilians attacked.
9 outlets told this the same way.
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Settler violence and siege
Escalating Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank prompted US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to call on the Trump administration to pressure Israel into protecting Palestinians, as the Middle East Eye report said at least 18 people have been killed and 880 more wounded during settler attacks in 2026.
“At least 18 people have been killed and 880 more wounded during settler attacks in 2026.”
Jeffries said in a post on X, "The ongoing siege of Palestinian homes in the West Bank by violent, lawbreaking settlers is unacceptable. Enough," and he added, "The Trump administration must compel the Israeli government to protect the lives, property and livelihood of innocent Palestinian civilians."
In the northern West Bank village of Qusra, the UN said humanitarian teams were able to reach Palestinian families surrounded after the establishment of an Israeli settler outpost near their homes and the tightening of access restrictions, with UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric speaking at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The UN said UNICEF provided water, food, medicines, hygiene items, and play kits for children in Qusra, while UN OCHA reported that three Palestinian families remained surrounded Monday by a heavy presence of Israeli forces and settlers.
The UN also said municipal workers attempting to restore water and electricity connections damaged during the week faced serious obstacles, including that Israeli settlers attacked them and some were detained by Israeli forces.
Condemnations and competing frames
As condemnation of Israeli settler violence grew, Pope Leo called for an end to repeated acts of violence targeting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, issuing his appeal on Sunday, August 16, 2026, from his residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.
The Pope’s appeal came as Al Jazeera reported that he joined those condemning escalating Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with settlers and soldiers continuing to attack civilians, besiege families and block aid.
In the NPR account of a Palestinian American family’s siege in the West Bank, Frank Langfitt described Qusai Abu Ridi as holed up in his home for more than a week after Israeli settlers laid siege and the Israeli army then turned it into a closed military area.
Abu Ridi told NPR through an interpreter, "They claim that they are conducting a military campaign in order to evict the settlers. Actually, they are choking us," and he said, "For four days, they have been here, and they have not worked on getting rid of the settlers."
What comes next
The UN said recent developments in the West Bank underscore "the urgency of protecting civilians, preserving homes and property, and ensuring access to essential services," and it warned that "What is happening in Qusra must not become the new normal," as Ramiz Alakbarov spoke in the briefing. In the same UN account, the organization said several people were injured over the weekend in two incidents in the Hebron governorate involving Israeli forces, settlers, and Palestinians, and it tied the broader pattern to intensifying violence and movement restrictions. The Times of Israel’s West Bank coverage described an Israeli West Bank outpost evacuated near Susya in the southern Hebron hills, with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and Israeli security forces evacuating the illegal outpost known as Givat Or Yehuda.
The Jerusalem Post said the evacuation came after a violent incident three months earlier, and it reported that in May extremist settler residents threw stones at police officers and blocked roads to prevent them from moving when Israeli security forces arrived to confiscate stolen and illegally held vehicles. In the NPR report, UNICEF delivered food, water and medicine over the weekend to the Palestinian family under siege, while the Israeli military said it had sent a battalion to the area and that water was restored, and the settlers insisted the land is theirs because God gave it to the Jews in the Bible.