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Qusra siege and army withdrawal
Israeli settlers besieged two Palestinian families in their homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra near Nablus, with the families saying their supplies were running out as rights groups urged authorities to step in.
“Israeli security forces were reported to have withdrawn from the Jewish settler outpost”
The BBC said Israeli security forces were reported to have withdrawn from the Jewish settler outpost in Qusra on Wednesday after clashes with a crowd of extremist settlers, leaving about a dozen settlers at the site.
The New York Times reported that Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth showed up in Qusra early Wednesday morning and that soldiers tried to disperse the settlers with tear gas, but that by 10:20 a.m. videos from security cameras showed the soldiers had left.
The New York Times added that residents said the settlers resumed their attacks soon after, while the army said it was assigning an extra battalion to the West Bank to try to “strengthen order and operational control in the area.”
The BBC described how Palestinian security camera footage showed settlers tearing down a wall outside the Abu Ridi family's home on Sunday evening and using the stones to block the road, leaving seven people unable to leave their homes while other Palestinians could not reach them.
Voices accuse anarchy
Aisha Hassan, who the New York Times said was 35 and was in the meeting with General Bluth, told the paper, “But when we saw that the army could not stop the settlers — now, honestly, we are more afraid.”
In the BBC report, Aysha Hassan told Reuters that the settlers had “tried to break the gate” to the house and “started throwing stones at us, cursing and insulting us,” and she said her family was “dying of fear, extremely terrified.”
The Jerusalem Post said the United States believes Israel is not doing enough to prevent violent settler attacks in the West Bank, citing a senior White House official and KAN News, and it said the official planned to discuss the issue with the Prime Minister's Office.
The Jerusalem Post also reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment on Wednesday with Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, Operations Directorate chief Maj.-Gen. Itzik Cohen, and Operations Division chief Brig.-Gen. Barak Hiram, and that the siege on Palestinian homes in Qusra had not yet been lifted as of Wednesday evening.
The TRT World report said the US sent Israel “furious” messages and demanded explanations from Tel Aviv about illegal Israeli settler violence in Qusra, near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, and it quoted Yedioth Ahronoth saying American officials were “shocked by the incident” and questioned “whether there is anarchy in Israel.”
Order, accountability, and UN spotlight
On Wednesday evening, the BBC said a Palestinian ambulance was finally allowed to reach the families in Qusra, delivering food and taking one child away for medical treatment, while the IDF put out a statement condemning the establishment of the new outpost.
“entering and seizing Palestinian homes was "illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable activity"”
The BBC also quoted the IDF statement that entering and seizing Palestinian homes was “illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable activity,” and it said disciplinary action would be taken against security personnel documented at the site several days earlier.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Zamir instructed the military to continue efforts to restore order and strengthen operational control in the area, while working to prevent further serious incidents, and it said he ordered an additional active-duty infantry battalion to reinforce the sector.
UN News said the Security Council held an open debate on Tuesday expected to address escalating Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and it said UN chief António Guterres warned that Israel occupies the West Bank, home to 3.4 million Palestinians, but that all Israeli settlements there have no legal validity and constitute a “flagrant violation” of international law.
UN News added that Israeli forces or Israeli settlers have injured at least 37 Palestinians between 28 July and 3 August, and that 35 settler attacks were documented, as the attacks continue to affect Palestinian communities across the West Bank, particularly in Ramallah, Nablus and Jerusalem governorates.
