Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Qusra in the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday after nearly three weeks of tension in the area, drawing rare condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Saturday, Qusra residents and the military said dozens of settlers had descended on the village, throwing stones at residents and barricading themselves inside a house while Palestinians were inside. Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,103 Palestinians in the West Bank, including both militants and civilians, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, according to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry.
In nearby Jalud, NBC News said masked settlers attacked and injured members of its reporting team and a Palestinian woman it had gone to interview. “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,” Netanyahu said in a statement. President Isaac Herzog also condemned the attack in Qusra, while Israel’s foreign ministry called the violence “a disgrace”. The settlers then called for backup and returned with dozens more, Hassan said, adding that they surrounded the Palestinians inside the house and began throwing stones.
