US Urges Netanyahu to Condemn Settler Siege as Palestinian Village Trapped

The United States wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn a siege imposed by Jewish settlers in the Palestinian village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank.

U.S. and Israeli officials stated on Friday that White House officials are pressing Netanyahu on this matter. Settlers have been besieging homes in Qusra for almost a week, trapping Palestinians in an area where rights groups say settlers are mounting a concerted effort to seize more land. The siege has drawn public U.S. criticism, with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemning settlers besieging a Palestinian home as "Israeli terrorists" on Thursday.

Washington began protesting after learning that the home of a Palestinian-American was among those under siege. Netanyahu has not commented on the siege in Qusra. Condemning settlers could be politically risky for Netanyahu two months before an election, potentially upsetting settler voters. Israeli forces have prevented Israeli and foreign activists from reaching Palestinian families whose homes have been surrounded.

Activists attempted to deliver food and water to three homes in the Ras al-Ain area on Friday. The United Nations reported about 15 Palestinians, including two children, are living in the three homes and have struggled to obtain basic supplies, lacking access to water or electricity. Settlers began surrounding the homes earlier this week, blocking roads with stones and erecting a tent nearby.

Israeli forces entered the area a day earlier and ordered families to temporarily leave their homes. Footage online reportedly showed Israeli soldiers drinking and praying with settlers rather than removing them. The Israeli army later said it launched an operation to remove settlers and declared the village a closed military zone. However, residents reported settlers were not removed, and no arrests were reported.

Instead, Israeli forces deployed troops to the village, forcing about 20 Palestinian families from their homes and taking over several properties, which were converted into military positions. Settler violence in the West Bank has risen during the three years since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel.