Refqa Hassan watches as Israeli settlers besiege her family home for the fourth consecutive day in the town of Qusra. Another attacker stabbed his father. No one has been arrested over the murder and assault.“Every night, the settlers throw stones, use obscene language and shout during the night.
We are living in a state of terror,” Hassan said. His mother, brother and sister, and three neighbours have also been blockaded inside, and their power and water have been cut off. Israeli soldiers stand guard next to settlers in front of Palestinian homes that they have blockaded in the village of Qusra. the same tactics to steal another Palestinian home in neighbouring Jalud village, driving the al Tubasi family out in July after a months-long siege.They cut off water and electricity to the homes, although a solar panel allows Hassan to keep some devices charged in Qusra.
They have also blocked medical care.When his younger daughter, a two-year-old, fell ill with vomiting and a high fever on Monday, settlers blocked an ambulance from reaching the house. The girls and their mother were eventually evacuated on Tuesday.They are short on food and are drinking water and juice delivered by the ambulance that came to collect his daughter. Hassan confirmed the visit.“Today, the area commander came and spoke with us and assured us that he would evacuate the settlers.
For the first time, I feel that there is some seriousness on the part of the army in dealing with the settlers,” Hassan said, but added that it had not yet produced tangible results.Soldiers took the tent but not bedding and other possessions and, after brief clashes with the settlers, withdrew. He ordered a battalion of infantry reservists back from leave to reinforce troops in the West Bank.“The battalion, which is currently undergoing a period of refreshment and training, will be deployed to the sector in order to strengthen operational control. Furthermore, additional soldiers will remain on standby for deployment as necessary,” a military spokesperson said.The military is working with the police to bring “those responsible for the disturbances to justice”, the spokesperson added.Israeli militants target Palestinians with near total impunity in the occupied West Bank.
Since 2020, Israeli civilians and soldiers have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians there, and there has been only one indictment over those deaths.Violence is deployed as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing. Israel has forcibly displaced 64 Palestinian communities over the past three years, rights group B’Tselem said. Fifteen other communities have lost residents, with more than 4,800 people driven from their homes.
An Israeli settler leads his sheep as settlers besiege a Palestinian home. Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the West Bank is accelerating and expanding in plain sight.”Dozens of Israelis from the country’s security, political and cultural elite have threatened legal action against their government over its failure to tackle “Jewish terrorism” in the occupied West Bank.As the occupying power in the West Bank, Israel is responsible under international law for ensuring the safety of Palestinian civilians and meeting their basic needs.The Israeli military has declared the area a closed military zone and blocked journalists from approaching the Palestinian homes. Israeli settlers are subject to the same orders but have not been removed.Sufian Taha contributed reportingExplore more on these topicsWest BankPalestineMiddle East and north AfricaIsraelnewsShareReuse this content
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