Two Palestinian families remain trapped inside their homes in Qusra after Israeli settlers cut off their water and electricity, prompting Israel to send additional forces as pressure grows over escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Right now in Qusra, a Palestinian village south of Nablus. Since Sunday, two families have been locked inside their own houses. The settlers blocked the roads, cut the power, and shut off the water.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military tried to push the settlers back. It did not work. Videos from the village show a massive line of security forces on the road, but the area remains closed off. Qusay Abu Ridi, who is trapped inside, has said that the house was attacked again overnight. He said a few settlers were still hiding in the area, ducking away from the army.
The first soldiers who actually arrived at the scene on Sunday did not immediately clear the road. Instead, they were filmed praying with the settlers. The military later said those soldiers would face discipline.
The standoff has pulled in high-level diplomats. One of the trapped men has a brother who is a Palestinian-American, and he reached out to the US embassy. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee did not hold back, calling the settlers “Israeli terrorists” online.
“Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting,” Huckabee wrote. “No excuse for such thuggish behavior.”
The Israeli military says it is now sending extra troops. But the pattern on the ground is hard to ignore. The village mayor, Abdel Azim Wadi, pointed out that a newly built mosque in Qusra was burned down just last month.
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At the UN, Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon brushed off the criticism, saying the settlements have historic rights and “we are not going anywhere.”
The extra troops are supposed to arrive soon. But for the families sitting in the dark without water, the real question is whether the soldiers will actually clear the gate this time, or stand on the road and watch.
