Israeli army soldiers patrol the streets of the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Thursday.Majdi Mohammed/The Associated Press
Israeli troops took up positions inside Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Thursday, the mayor said, after settlers trapped Palestinian families this week in a siege Palestinians say is aimed at forcing them from their land.
The siege began at the weekend when Jewish settlers closed off the road to the three homes in the Palestinian village of Qusra and set up a tent in their front yards, refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave. The settlers had earlier cut off their electricity and water.
By Thursday evening, Israeli troops were still holding positions in three Qusra homes, according to the mayor, Abed Al Athem Wadi, and to residents: one on the village outskirts, among the three that are besieged by settlers; and two closer to the village heart.
Reuters photos showed several Israeli soldiers standing outside one of the homes. The soldiers informed the families that operations in Qusra may last until Sunday, village residents said.
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In a statement, the military said that soldiers had been deployed in Qusra since Thursday morning to protect residents and maintain security, and “were instructed that the Qusra residents will remain in their homes.”
The military added that “soldiers will not operate inside the Palestinian family’s home located near the site where the tent that was evacuated and dismantled had been erected.” It was not immediately clear which of the three homes the military was referring to.
Loui Ridi, a Palestinian-American based in Ohio whose brother is besieged in his home, said that he felt helpless. “It is terrifying, frustration, fear of my family for their lives,” he told Reuters in a phone interview.
Ridi said he had been watching the developments over the security camera installed in his Qusra home, but that the soldiers today removed it. He was planning to travel to the home soon, he said.
The United Nations said in a statement that some 15 Palestinians including two children were trapped inside their homes with no water or electricity.
Israeli soldiers stand guard next to settlers in front of Palestinian homes that they have blockaded in the village of Qusra.Nidal Eshtayeh/The Associated Press
The military has come under increasing pressure to halt rogue land seizures by settlers emboldened by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has spearheaded a rapid expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Earlier on Thursday, a day after troops deployed tear gas in a failed attempt to remove the settlers, it said it had sent more troops to the area “to carry out defensive missions and patrols in the area to maintain security and protect the area.”
Video from earlier in the week showed several Israeli men in green military garb joining the settlers in a morning prayer in the tent. The military said it was taking disciplinary action against any personnel involved.
The two families under siege in the area say they are running low on supplies and that the settlers have been damaging their property, throwing stones at their homes and shouting insulting language at them.
On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee referred to the settlers as “terrorists” – a word American officials usually reserve for Palestinian militants. It was an unusually sharp rebuke from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has given unprecedented support to Israeli settlement over the years.
“Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting,” Huckabee said in his post about the events in Qusra. He said the U.S. embassy has been co-ordinating with the Israeli military and police.
Ridi welcomed Huckabee’s remarks but said they were not enough. “We need protection. We need supplies. We need to live freely in our house.”
Palestinians say Israeli authorities allow settlers to seize land and resources across the West Bank with impunity, including in areas where they hold Israel-issued ownership documents.
Incidents of settler land seizures are especially common in areas on the outskirts of villages, like Qusra, which sits in an area under complete Israeli security control.
The West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, is home to some three million Palestinians and 500,000 settlers. There are some 146 settlements in the West Bank, as well as 390 smaller outposts, according to the Israeli settlement watchdog group Peace Now.
With a report from the Associated Press