US urges Netanyahu to condemn settler siege of Palestinian homes in Qusra

Qusra, Palestine. The United States wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn a siege imposed by Jewish settlers on homes in the Palestinian village of Qusra, US and Israeli officials said on Friday.

Settler action

Settlers have besieged homes in Qusra in the occupied West Bank for almost a week, trapping Palestinian residents in an area where rights groups say settlers are mounting a concerted effort to seize more land.

On Friday, settlers pitched a new tent as part of the pressure on residents before Israeli soldiers arrived and the tent was removed.

US pressure

The siege has drawn public criticism from the United States. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a strong supporter of Jewish settlement in the West Bank, described settlers besieging a Palestinian home as “Israeli terrorists” on Thursday.

A US official and an Israeli official said White House officials were pressing Netanyahu to publicly condemn the siege. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington began protesting after learning that one of the besieged homes belonged to a Palestinian-American.

Netanyahu has not commented on the siege in Qusra. Neither his office nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment.

Political context

Settler violence in the West Bank has risen during the three years since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel.

Condemning settlers could carry political risks for Netanyahu roughly two months before an election, potentially alienating settler voters whose support is important to parts of his right-wing coalition. Opinion polls show Netanyahu could lose power, while his security credentials remain affected by the 2023 Hamas attacks.

“We are very afraid,” Aysha Hassan, a Palestinian woman living in one of three besieged homes, told Reuters by telephone.

“There is nothing new. It’s been like this for six days…the settlers are still here.”