US wants Netanyahu to condemn settler siege

QUSRA:

The United States wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn militant settlers who have besieged Palestinians in their homes in the occupied West Bank, US and Israeli officials said on Friday, as settlers pressured residents by pitching a new tent before Israeli soldiers arrived and it was taken down.

A US official and an Israeli official said on Friday White House officials are pressing Netanyahu to publicly condemn the settlers' actions.

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

"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region," a White House official said in a statement to Reuters on Friday.

Netanyahu has not commented on the siege in Qusra and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank has risen during the three years since the Hamas-led October 7 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.

The United Nations has said some 15 Palestinians, including two children, were trapped inside their homes with no running water or electricity.

Footage shot by a Palestinian resident trapped in another of the homes and obtained by Reuters showed seven settlers outside, standing near a blue tent. One is seen throwing stones toward the nearby village, as another arrives with chairs.

Israeli army vehicles and soldiers later arrive and the tent is seen collapsed on the ground. Reuters