On Saturday afternoon, a large group of Israeli settlers entered the Palestinian village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank. Witness Louay Adli said the crowd, which he estimated at 60 to 70 people, surrounded his home and hurled stones, forcing him and six others to flee to the roof for safety.
Adli called the Israeli police, but the settlers continued the assault for about an hour. Video obtained by CNN shows settlers throwing rocks from one side of the house while Israeli soldiers operated on the opposite side, firing tear gas into the building. The family reported suffocation and felt trapped between the rioters and the army.
After the standoff, Israeli security forces arrested and blindfolded Adli, warning him not to return to his home. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement saying they used “proportionate force” against a Palestinian accused of resisting and throwing stones, and that they had identified dozens of rioters inside the house. However, the IDF did not explain why the alleged rioters were able to leave without being detained.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident as the act of a “handful of rioters” and pledged a vigorous investigation, promising that law‑enforcement authorities would arrest those responsible. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the episode a “direct and flagrant defiance of the laws and values of the State of Israel,” urging decisive action.
Broader context of settler violence
Qusra has been the target of repeated settler incursions in recent months, with many Palestinian families—some holding U.S. citizenship—being pressured to leave. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described the settler attacks as “a horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass.” More than 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, a presence that the international community largely deems illegal under international law.
In a separate incident the same day, masked settlers attacked an NBC News crew in the West Bank town of Jalud while they were interviewing a Palestinian woman who said her family had been forced out of their home. The Foreign Press Association condemned the assault, noting it reflects a recurring pattern of violence against both journalists and Palestinian civilians.
Palestinian activist Ayed Jafry, who works near Nablus, said the military often collaborates with settlers rather than stopping them, describing a policy of displacement that is “clear, deliberate, and organized between the army and the settlers.” The IDF chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has placed the West Bank on an elevated level of readiness, ordering additional troops to the area amid rising tensions.
Israeli security forces say they continue to operate in Qusra and Jalud to prevent further disturbances and restore order, while condemning all forms of violence. The investigation into the Qusra raid remains ongoing, with no arrests announced as of Sunday evening.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
