Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, pelting them with rocks and trapping residents in their homes.
The incident was the first major attack by Israeli settlers since they began a siege in the villages of Qusra and neighboring Jalud earlier this month.
On Saturday, settlers descended on Qusra and began pelting Palestinians with rocks. When dozens of residents sought to barricade themselves in a home, settlers followed them in, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
"The security forces who arrived at the scene initially operated to remove the rioters from the home and separate the groups, in order to protect the residents inside the house," said an IDF statement.
Who is the IDF protecting in such situations?
Although the IDF said settler vehicles had been impounded and authorities were gathering evidence, Palestinian media said the IDF protected the settlers during the melee.
A number of Palestinians said they were injured after being pepper sprayed by settlers, and reported that other Israeli settlers had tried to burn nearby fields owned by Palestinians.
One Palestinian said the IDF had fired tear gas into the home that he was in and held several people inside while at the same time letting Israeli settlers go free.
Other Palestinians said IDF officers had handcuffed, blindfolded and beaten residents trapped inside before letting them go.
Local Palestinians told international news teams that they had been trapped in their homes for hours waiting for help from the IDF.
The IDF did not comment on the use of tear gas nor accusations of handcuffs and beatings.
Saturday attacks elicit rare criticism from Netanyahu
Saturday's attacks took place just yards away from three other Qusra homes that radical Jewish settlers targeted in a siege that began three weeks ago.
Despite a massive Israeli military presence that local Palestinians say has kept them imprisoned in their houses, residents report near-daily settler encroachments.
Rights groups say settler aggression is part of an — illegal — effort to seize land from residents in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians hope to one day found their own independent state. The Israeli government has rejected accusations of illegality. Various Israeli political figures have justified the settlements for security reasons or argued there are biblical grounds for the creation of the settlements.
The IDF has said it will continue "to operate in the areas of Qusra and Jalud to prevent further disturbances and restore order in the area."
Although settlers have been emboldened by the stance of Israel's far-right government — which has encouraged settlement building despite broad international opposition — the Saturday attack managed to elicit rare criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Saturday, Netanyahu released a statement on X saying, "I strongly condemn the criminal acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud by a handful of rioters who are violating the law, causing a grave injustice to the law-abiding Jewish community, interfering with the IDF in carrying out its missions, and harming Israel's standing in the world."
Increasing Israeli settler violence has even garnered criticism from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who recently denounced radical settlers in the West Bank as "Israeli terrorists," adding that those behind the siege of Qusra could face US sanctions.
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Edited by: Wesley Dockery
