- Israeli troops forced two Palestinian families to leave their besieged homes, the day after a top Israeli commander promised to end a violent settler campaign to drive them out.
- Israeli soldiers took over eight homes in Qusra, telling the mayor they were needed for a days-long operation to remove the settlers.
- Maj Gen Avi Bluth, who commands all Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, visited Qusra to meet the trapped Palestinians and to evacuate the settlers, but his troops later removed the tent while leaving the militants and their equipment.
- One besieged Palestinian, Qusai Ridi, said the army asked them to evacuate for a three-day military operation, moved them into one house, and later damaged a security camera system and stole equipment.
- The US ambassador to Israel described the siege as a “horrific act of terror” carried out by Israeli terrorists, and Israel’s former prime minister called it a “concerted and meticulous attempt at ethnic cleansing” and “crimes against humanity.”
- Since 2020, Israeli civilians and soldiers have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians in the West Bank, and Israel has forcibly displaced 64 Palestinian communities over the past three years, according to B’Tselem.
- An Israeli military spokesperson said soldiers had been ordered not to displace Palestinian residents of Qusra and would not operate inside the besieged homes, but declined to comment on why those orders were being violated.
Israeli troops have forcibly displaced two Palestinian families in Qusra, despite a promise from Maj Gen Avi Bluth to end a violent settler campaign. The military's actions included taking over eight additional homes, raising accusations of ethnic cleansing amid international outcry.34
The ordeal began when Israeli settlers and soldiers set up a tent blocking access to three homes, cutting off water and electricity supplies and preventing an ambulance from reaching a sick toddler. “The army arrived at around 10am and asked us to evacuate the houses because of a military operation in the area that would last for three days. We refused to leave,” said Qusai Ridi, one of the besieged Palestinians.
Despite Bluth's visit to Qusra, where he aimed to “evacuate” the settlers, his troops removed the tent but left the militants behind. “These are crimes against humanity which are actively supported by the Israeli government,” stated a former Israeli prime minister, expressing disgust over the situation.
An Israeli military spokesperson claimed that soldiers were ordered not to displace residents, yet the actions on the ground contradicted this statement. Since 2020, over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the region, with Israel forcibly displacing 64 communities in the past three years, according to rights group B’Tselem.91011
“The military said soldiers were ordered not to displace residents, yet they took over eight homes for a days-long operation. Since 2020, over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, and 64 communities forcibly displaced, per B'Tselem.”
The Guardian
