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Qusra siege and failed clearance
The Israeli Defense Forces made a failed bid on Wednesday to clear out an illegal settler outpost blocking the entrance to Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus, after the army’s plan was apparently leaked to the media in advance.
“The Israel Defense Forces made a failed bid on Wednesday to clear out an illegal settler outpost”
A Palestinian family living on the outskirts of Qusra had been trapped inside since Sunday, after extremist settlers set up temporary structures there, and the family’s water and electricity lines were cut off.
On Wednesday morning, IDF troops and Border Police forces were deployed to Qusra to dismantle the outpost and remove the settler activists, but they found that the road leading to the besieged Palestinian homes had been obstructed with rocks, cutting off access.
“Border Police forces evacuated the canopy and are working to evacuate the civilians who were staying there,” the army said, referring to the outpost, while also saying the incident was ongoing and security forces were on the ground.
Ultimately, the soldiers were unable to clear out the outpost and left after several hours, having dismantled the temporary structures without removing the settlers.
Voices, tear gas and troop moves
Youssef Hassan, the owner of one of the besieged homes, told The Times of Israel that large numbers of settlers arrived from outposts in the area after news of the planned evacuation spread, and he said Border Police officers used riot dispersal means against them, including tear gas.
Hassan confirmed to The Times of Israel that the entrance to his home remained blocked, and the article says soldiers briefly returned several hours later but left shortly after.
The Israeli military said it would send more troops to try to impose order on defiant settlers after failing to end the blockade of Palestinians’ homes, with the siege beginning on Sunday when settlers set up a makeshift tent near houses in Qusra.
Qusai Abu Rida, a Palestinian trapped inside one of the houses, told Al-Monitor by telephone, “We have received no food and no medicine,” and said he had only managed to secure electricity thanks to solar panels.
The Israeli military announced later Wednesday that it would send an additional infantry battalion and that more soldiers would be on standby, while a military statement said the chief of the general staff directed efforts to strengthen order and operational control in the area.
Escalation, accountability, and wider impacts
The Times of Israel reports that IDF Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth was present in the area and met with the Palestinian family earlier in the day along with other senior military officials, while the IDF said an infantry battalion would be dispatched to bolster troops attempting to deal with provocations and attacks by settlers against Palestinians.
““the continuation of efforts to strengthen order and operational control in the area”
The IDF said the decision was made during an assessment held by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir with senior officers regarding the situation in Qusra, and it quoted the IDF saying the chief of staff instructed “the continuation of efforts to strengthen order and operational control in the area.”
The army also confirmed on Wednesday that it would be taking disciplinary action against troops who were caught praying alongside the settlers outside the besieged homes on Sunday rather than removing them from the area.
In parallel, Al-Monitor says the Israeli military condemned the settlers’ actions and declared the area a “closed military zone,” removing their tent on Wednesday morning, but by mid-afternoon an AFP photographer said the military had left and the tent had been removed while settlers were still there.
The New Arab frames the siege as part of a wider attempt to force the family from its property, quoting Andrey saying, “The settlers attacked us in full view of the army,” and describing what he called “one of the most egregious examples of just blatant crimes against humanity being committed by the settlers and the Israeli army together.”
