For almost a week, Israeli settlers, with the military standing by in full view, have besieged Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, in an attempt to force them from their land and take over their homes.
The region has seen a significant rise in settler violence since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Much of this violence, which has included deadly shootings, beatings, humiliating detentions, vandalism and arson, goes unreported.
However, the Qusra case is an exception, prompting condemnation even from allies.
What is happening there?
Qusra is south of the major Palestinian city of Nablus. Settler violence affects all of the West Bank, but the villages around Nablus are a hotspot because of the number of ideological settlements, such as Shiloh, Eli and Yitzhar.
It sits in Area B of the West Bank, where Israel is supposed to have military control and the Palestinian Authority civil control. Settler violence mostly affects Area C, where Israel has full security and civil control, but it is spreading to Area B, and Area A, where the Palestinian Authority is supposed to have control.
On Sunday, Israeli settlers set up an outpost near homes on the edges of the village, barring the families' exit and beginning a siege to push the residents to leave so they could occupy the houses. Since then, families have reported running low on food, water and medicine.
What is the military doing?
Israel’s military, sometimes in the name of its leaders, has started issuing statements about the siege. On the ground, there are no major movements yet.
Over the course of six days, soldiers have arrived in the area, on occasion confiscating material. They claim to have dismantled outposts. Settlers have then re-established the camps once the military withdrew.
The military has also faced accusations of being on the side of the attacking settlers. Soldiers were filmed praying with the group of young men besieging Qusra.
There are reports that the army is preparing for an operation, but there is little hope among Palestinians and Israeli activists that any future military activity will benefit the victims of the attack.
What are Palestinians and Israelis saying?
The Palestinian Authority called for international action to halt the violence. Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa spoke to the mayor of Qusra on Friday.
Israel’s government has not commented on the attacks. On Friday, Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to hand over responsibility for civilian law enforcement to the Israeli police in the West Bank. Critics say that move entrenches Israel’s de facto annexation of the territory.
Most of the response from Israeli politicians comes from left-wing parties. Far-left politician Ofer Cassif said forces stopped him getting to Qusra on Friday and that besieged families were being denied essential supplies and medicine.
A statement from his party, Hadash-Ta’al, said he later reached the families. “This is exactly what apartheid looks like. This is exactly what occupation looks like,” the statement added.
Will the US get involved?
The siege has prompted rare criticism from staunch Israel ally US Ambassador Mike Huckabee. He called the perpetrators “Israeli terrorists” on Thursday.
Mr Huckabee later came out in support of the wider settlement project, saying that settlers “are not the problem” in the West Bank, rather a “very small minority who do great damage to Palestinian families and to Israel”. He then praised Yisrael Gantz, a settler leader who supports applying Israeli law in the West Bank.
Reuters reported on Friday that the US wants Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn the siege.
