Washington presses Netanyahu to condemn settler siege in West Bank village

The U.S. wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn a siege imposed by Jewish settlers in a Palestinian village, U.S. and Israeli officials said on Friday, as settlers pressured residents by pitching a new tent before Israeli soldiers arrived and it was taken down.

Settlers have been besieging homes in Qusra in the occupied West Bank for almost a week, trapping Palestinians in an area where rights groups say settlers are mounting a concerted effort to seize more land, further eating into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.

The siege has drawn public U.S. criticism: the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee — a strong supporter of Jewish settlement in the West Bank — on Thursday condemned settlers besieging a Palestinian home as "Israeli terrorists."

A U.S. official and an Israeli official said on Friday White House officials are pressing Netanyahu to publicly condemn the siege.

Washington began to protest after learning that the home of a Palestinian-American was among those under siege, said the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions, of which they had knowledge.

Netanyahu has not commented on the siege in Qusra. Neither his office nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment.

U.S. ambassador condemns Israeli settlers' siege of Palestinian homes in West Bank

Settler violence in the West Bank has risen during the three years since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 2023, attacks on Israel.

Condemning settlers could be politically risky for Netanyahu some two months before an election, potentially upsetting settler voters upon whom parts of his right-wing coalition rely. Opinion polls show Netanyahu could lose power, his security credentials still shaken by the 2023 Hamas attacks.

"We are very afraid," said Aysha Hassan, a Palestinian woman who lives in one of three besieged homes in the village, speaking to Reuters by phone.

"There is nothing new. It's been like this for six days … the settlers are still here."

Hassan said she had seen settlers below the house in the early hours of the morning and shared videos with Reuters showing groups of settlers wandering underneath her home that she said she had taken from her window.

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