Qusra settler siege draws French call for arrests

France urged Israel to arrest and prosecute settlers besieging Qusra in the occupied West Bank, adding to international pressure over the blockade of Palestinian homes near Nablus.

Residents said settlers had blockaded homes in Qusra since Sunday, cutting them off from food and other supplies. One of the homes is owned by a US citizen.

The Israeli military said it moved forces into the area, dismantled two outposts and detained one Israeli. It said troops remained in place to protect residents and maintain security.

The military also said it would allow residents to stay in their homes, after Qusra mayor Abdel Azim Wadi said troops had issued temporary evacuation orders so they could operate.

Aisha Hassan, who is trapped in one of the homes, said no food or supplies had reached residents because the area was sealed off by the army. Witnesses said settlers remained on rocks on a nearby hill after troops removed their tent and blankets.

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned the blockade on X, saying there was “no excuse for such thuggish behaviour”. He said Israel had intervened at the request of the United States.

The UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory called on Israeli authorities to act immediately against the settlers. It said the settlers’ actions, “supported or acquiesced to by Israel”, were making life unbearable for the Palestinian families and were aimed at forcing them from their homes and land.

EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper called on Israel to take “concrete action to prevent settler violence”.

The military action in Qusra came on the same day Israeli officials, including Defence Minister Israel Katz, celebrated the reopening of the Ganim settlement in the northern West Bank. Katz told the ceremony: “Here, this is the Land of Israel. Here, we are staying forever.”

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements there among about three million Palestinians. The settlements are illegal under international law. Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.