Israel to send reinforcements against settlers besieging Palestinian family

The Israeli army announced it will send an infantry battalion to reinforce operations against Jewish settlers who have been besieging a Palestinian family in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra since Sunday. The settlers have surrounded the family's home, effectively cutting off their access.

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The Chief of Staff ordered to continue the efforts to strengthen the order and operational control in the area, as well as to prevent the continuation of serious incidents.

According to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Chief of Staff ordered continued efforts to strengthen order and operational control in the area and prevent further serious incidents. This directive follows recent footage showing Israeli soldiers praying and taking selfies with the group of settlers while they were encircling the Palestinian home.

The IDF stated that the Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, conducted an assessment with senior commanders and ordered additional troops to be on standby for deployment. The army also affirmed its collaboration with the police and the Shin Bet internal intelligence service to restore order and prosecute those involved in the disturbances.

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We are working together with the police and the Shin Bet to restore order in the area and bring the rioters to justice.

However, the situation on the ground reportedly contrasts with these statements. Settlers continue to surround the targeted home and another nearby residence. Although Israeli Border Police removed a tent erected by settlers, chairs and mattresses remain, indicating the ongoing siege. Qusay abu Ridi, a neighbor also affected, described how the settlers cut off electricity, water, and medicine, and how the army prevented aid from reaching them by declaring the area a closed military zone.

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They removed the tent canvas, but the chairs and mattresses remained (...). They are still there, surrounding the house. They have put mattresses there and stayed. We are still under siege.

International law considers all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal. This incident highlights ongoing tensions and the complexities of enforcing order in the region, particularly concerning settler actions and the military's response.

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They set up a tent and surrounded us. They cut off all our supplies: electricity, water, and even left us without medicine. A group of people came to try to give us help, but the army turned them back, telling them it was a closed military zone.