Israel sends troops to settler siege as US ambassador slams 'act of terror'

Israeli forces moved against rogue settlers laying siege to Palestinians on Thursday, after unusually strong U.S. criticism, even as Israel reopened an emblematic settlement elsewhere in the West Bank.

Settlers at Qusra near Nablus have since Sunday been blockading Palestinian homes, including one owned by a U.S. citizen, with residents saying they have been cut off from food and other supplies.

The Israeli military said it sent forces to the area overnight and dismantled two outposts, detaining one Israeli. Troops remained in place, the military said, to "protect the residents and maintain security."

Witnesses said the settlers remained on rocks on a nearby hill, even after troops removed their tent and blankets.

"So far, no one has been able to get food and supplies to us because the area is completely sealed off by the army," said Aisha Hassan, trapped in one of the besieged houses.

Qusra mayor Abdul Azim Wadi told AFP that the army had withdrawn from eight homes it had seized on Thursday morning, and that "all residents who had been evacuated returned to their homes."

On Thursday evening, settlers were still in the area, including near houses that they had previously besieged, the mayor said. Israeli troops also remained in the town, and told residents they would stay until Sunday, he said.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, for years a staunch supporter of settlers, said there was "no excuse for such thuggish behaviour."

"Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting," Huckabee wrote on X.

Huckabee said Israel had intervened at the request of the United States, its crucial ally.

Video footage published over the weekend appeared to show Israeli forces praying alongside the settlers, leading the army to say it would take action.

The U.N. Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory on Thursday called on the Israeli authorities to "immediately" act against the settlers.

"These criminal actions by the settlers, supported or acquiesced to by Israel, the occupying power, are making life unbearable for these Palestinian families, and are clearly aimed at forcing them to leave their homes and land," it said in a statement.

EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper called on Israel to take "concrete action to prevent settler violence."

AFP