Siege in Qusra Continues, But Case Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Israeli settlers have besieged Palestinian families in the West Bank village of Qusra since Sunday, cutting off their water and electricity and preventing them from getting food. The Israeli army intervened to remove the settlers, but they returned after the soldiers left, and some soldiers are being investigated for supporting the settlers.

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The army seems to be taking the settlers' actions somewhat seriously for the first time.

The siege has drawn international attention, with the US reportedly pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while settler violence in the West Bank has seen over 1,200 incidents this year. The Qusra siege is just the tip of the iceberg of the situation in the West Bank, where people are being driven from their homes and homes are being burned or destroyed due to a lack of Israeli building permits. Violent attacks occur frequently.

This year, settler terror incidents in the West Bank have exceeded 1,200, averaging six per day, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the summer alone, numerous Palestinian families have been threatened and forced to leave their homes. In June, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 7-month-old baby in his mother's arms at a checkpoint. A four-month-old infant with a serious illness died in July due to delayed medical treatment after his family was not allowed through a checkpoint near Ramallah to reach an ambulance.

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I don't want to leave because I'm afraid I won't be able to return to my home.

A UN independent investigation commission's report published in June also presented findings from Gaza and the West Bank.

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a horrific act of terror