Israeli Army to Reinforce West Bank Village After Settler Siege
Israeli troops will deploy additional forces to the village of Qusra after settlers cut off water and power, trapping the families since Sunday. The Abu Ridi and Hassan families have appealed for help as food stocks ran low.
Video footage shows a dozen security vehicles, including a bulldozer, blocking the village gate. A line of soldiers later tried to remove the settlers but failed, leading to confrontations using tear gas and stun grenades.
The Israeli army said soldiers had been disciplined for praying with the settlers after the first encounter on Sunday. A nearby settler outpost was demolished during the conflict.
UN figures reveal 76 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, most of them children, while 127 Palestinian communities have been displaced, affecting more than 6,390 people.
The mayor of Qusra highlighted a pattern of targeting the village, noting a mosque was recently set on fire with Hebrew graffiti and that other attacks have escalated violence and casualties in the area.
In July, settlers surrounded a home near Qusra in the village of Jalud for over two weeks and took over the property, a move still in effect today.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN dismissed concerns that settlements were obstacles to peace, asserting that they would remain and grow due to biblical, historic and legal rights to the land, while the Security Council is urged to understand no change is forthcoming.
