Daijiworld Media Network – Ramallah
Ramallah, Aug 14: The United Nations human rights office and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have condemned a days-long siege by Israeli settlers targeting Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra.
The statements were issued on Thursday as dozens of Israeli settlers reportedly continued to surround three Palestinian families in the Ras al-Ain area of western Qusra for a fifth consecutive night.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the actions were making life unbearable for the families and appeared aimed at forcing them to leave their homes and land.
The three families comprise 15 people, including two children, and have reportedly remained confined to their homes after their water and electricity supplies were cut off on Sunday.
The UN warned that the families could face forced displacement if the situation continues.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also condemned the settlers' actions, describing the attacks as systematic and accusing Israel of allowing settlers to act as a tool for forced displacement and annexation in the occupied West Bank.
Earlier on Thursday, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee had also described the settlers' actions as acts of terror.
Families refuse to leave homes
According to reports from the scene, Israeli soldiers initially attempted to move the families out of their homes while settlers remained outside. The families reportedly refused, fearing they would not be allowed to return, and were eventually gathered in one home.
Residents said Qusra has experienced settler attacks for years and linked the escalation in violence to the expansion of settlements and what they described as a lack of accountability for attackers.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that its forces had dismantled two illegal outposts in Qusra and a nearby village and detained one Israeli. It said additional troops had been deployed to conduct patrols and defensive operations.
However, Palestinian residents have questioned the effectiveness of the military response and expressed concern that the settlers could return after the operation.
Settler violence reported elsewhere
Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers and soldiers were also reported to have continued attacks against Palestinians.
Demolition notices were reportedly issued for homes in Kafr Sur, Jalazone camp and farmers' shelters in al-Jiftlik. In Qalqilya, Israeli forces detained seven relatives of a Palestinian fighter killed in a 2024 strike, while three Palestinians were detained during a reported settler incursion in Burqa, east of Ramallah.
Other incidents were reported across towns and villages, including an incident in which three Palestinians, among them a child, were reportedly pepper-sprayed inside their vehicle.
Settlers were also reported to have re-established a settlement near Jenin and erected a new outpost on land belonging to a town near Tulkarem.