Israeli settlers attack home in occupied West Bank's Qusra: witnesses

Israeli settlers attack home in occupied West Bank's Qusra: witnesses

Settlers surrounded the home and threw stones, while seven Palestinians were trapped inside, onlookers say

Dozens of masked Israeli settler militants attacked homes surrounding the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, the first major attack since a siege by settlers in the area earlier this month drew an international outcry.

In one case, the settlers surrounded a Palestinian home, throwing stones while seven Palestinians were trapped inside, according to witnesses who spoke to Reuters.

Saddam Oday, one of those trapped, said the Israeli military fired tear gas into the home and detained the residents inside while letting him go. He said the military had not detained any of the settlers and had allowed them to leave.

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The owner of the house, Luay Bayrudi, said when the military arrived, soldiers handcuffed, blindfolded and beat those inside before later releasing them.

The Israeli military said in a statement that troops and border police forces had arrived on the scene to remove "rioters" and protect the residents inside the house.

The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why they had reportedly fired tear gas at the house and detained and beaten the residents.

In his first public statement on Qusra, Israeli ‌Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he condemned the violence in Qusra and blamed a "handful of rioters."

"I strongly condemn the criminal acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud," Netanyahu said, referring to a separate incident in a neighbouring village.

Residents report frequent encroachments

Bayrudi said that after calling the Israeli military for help, he and six others were trapped inside the home for more than an hour as settlers threw stones.

He showed a Reuters reporter his bandaged arm, which he said had been injured by a stone during the attack.

Oday, a medic, said four of those trapped suffered injuries due to the tear gas, and two sustained injuries from the stones thrown by settlers.

The attack occurred a few hundred metres away from three homes to which settlers laid siege this month, drawing international condemnation and a massive Israeli military deployment that residents say has kept them effectively trapped in their homes.

"They spotted the residents working on their house, which is still under construction, and they started throwing rocks," said Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American whose home was one of the three under siege this month. He said he watched Saturday's attack from his house.

Ridi said he had seen near-daily encroachments of Israeli settlers into the area surrounding his home, despite the heavy Israeli military presence in the area.

Israeli soldiers appear to throw items from balcony of besieged house in West Bank's Qusra

Rights groups say the increasing settler presence on the edge of Palestinian villages, like Qusra, is part of a wider effort by settlers to seize more land from Palestinians, further eating into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.

Violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank has been on the rise, with some emboldened by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has overseen a massive settlement expansion in the territory. Netanyahu has not commented on the situation in Qusra.

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The Israeli military said in its statement that along with the border police it would continue "to operate in the areas of Qusra and (neighbouring) Jalud to prevent further disturbances and restore order in the area."

The United Nations and most countries deem the settlements illegal under international law pertaining to military occupations. Israel rejects this, viewing the area as disputed rather than occupied.