The United States is calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn settlers who besiege Palestinians in their homes in the occupied West Bank, American and Israeli officials said Friday.
Settlers have been surrounding homes in Qusra for nearly a week, after cutting off water and electricity, trapping their Palestinian occupants in an area where, according to human rights organizations, they are leading a concerted offensive to seize new land and further whittle away at the territory on which the Palestinians wish to establish their state.
See alsoHouses under siege in the West Bank: Israel sends troops amid American criticism
These actions have sparked public criticism from the United States: the American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, although a fervent supporter of Jewish colonization in the West Bank, on Thursday described the settlers besieging a Palestinian home as “Israeli terrorists”.
A US official and an Israeli official said Friday that members of the White House are pressuring Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly denounce the actions of the settlers.
Washington began protesting after learning that the home of a Palestinian-American was among the targets, the two officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Also readHouses under siege in the West Bank: Israel sends troops amid American criticism
Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on the Qusra siege. Neither his office nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment.
Condemning the settlers: “Politically risky” for Netanyahu
Condemning the settlers could prove politically risky for Benjamin Netanyahu about two months before the elections, because it would risk dissatisfying voters from the settlements on whom part of his far-right coalition relies.
Opinion polls indicate that Benjamin Netanyahu could lose power, with his security credentials further shaken by Hamas attacks in 2023.
“We are very afraid,” Aysha Hassan, a Palestinian who lives in one of the three besieged houses, said in a telephone interview with Reuters. “There is nothing new. It has been going on for six days (…) the settlers are still there.”
Around fifteen Palestinians stranded
The United Nations said around 15 Palestinians, including two children, were stuck inside their homes without running water or electricity. A video shot by a Palestinian resident trapped in another of these houses and obtained by Reuters showed seven settlers near a blue tent, one of whom was throwing stones towards the neighboring village. Israeli soldiers then arrived and dismantled the tent.
Soldiers praying with settlers on video
The siege began this weekend after settlers blocked access to the three houses and set up a tent in their gardens, after cutting off water and electricity.
The Israeli army said soldiers had been deployed to Qusra since Thursday morning to protect residents and maintain security.
However, a video filmed earlier this week shows several men in uniform praying with the settlers in the tent. The army announced disciplinary measures against the soldiers involved.
The West Bank is home to approximately three million Palestinians and 500,000 settlers, spread across 146 settlements and 390 outposts, according to Peace Now.
With Reuters
