Peace Now has appealed to Central Command Major General Avi Bluth and Police Commissioner Major General Danny Levy, demanding the immediate evacuation of a settler outpost established in the yard of a Palestinian family, which the Israeli human rights group says is besieged in their own home.
Settlers blocked Haaretz journalists from reaching the Palestinians’ home in the village of Qusra on Monday, attacking Haaretz’s West Bank reporter, Matan Golan, and photographer Itai Ron as they tried to reach the isolated property.
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Settlers blocking Haaretz journalists from accessing the home of Palestinian residents in Qusra on Monday. Credit: Itai Ron
Settlers blocking Haaretz journalists from accessing the home of Palestinian residents in Qusra on Monday. Credit: Itai Ron
“This is not an isolated incident or ‘friction’ between populations, but rather organized and violent criminal conduct, in which a group of settlers forcibly took over an area that does not belong to them, terrorized Palestinian residents and is trying to establish facts on the ground through violence,” the appeal states.
Peace Now also severely criticizes the conduct of the security forces at the scene. According to documentation, soldiers who were present at the scene did not act to evacuate settlers, and were even recorded praying with them.
“It is not possible for a Palestinian family to be besieged in their home or prevented from returning to it while those who illegally took over the place continue to reside there undisturbed,” the letter reads.
The organization stressed that the incident in Qusra is part of a broader phenomenon of land grabs and outpost expansion in Palestinian territory.