US Presses Netanyahu to Condemn West Bank Siege

The United States is pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn the siege of the Palestinian village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank.

A group of radical Jewish settlers has been blocking three houses there for nearly a week, trapping approximately 15 Palestinians inside, including two children and US citizens. The residents’ water and electricity supplies had previously been cut off.

The situation has provoked a sharp reaction from Washington. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee labeled the settlers responsible “Israeli terrorists”. According to human rights organizations, the siege is part of a systematic effort by settlers to seize more land and expand settlements into territory where Palestinians plan to establish their future state.

Netanyahu has not yet commented on the incident. Publicly condemning the settlers is politically sensitive for him, with elections approximately two months away and his right-wing coalition reliant on the votes of this segment of the electorate.

The Israeli army dispatched soldiers to the site, who removed the settlers’ newly erected tent, but tensions in the area persist, and the settlers are still lingering near the homes. Violence by settlers in the West Bank has been on the rise for some time.

(Reuters, Max)