Israeli forces prevented Israeli and foreign activists from reaching Palestinian families whose homes have been surrounded by settlers for nearly a week in the city of Qusra in the occupied West Bank, south of Nablus. On Friday, activists attempted to deliver food and water to three homes in the Ras al-Ain area, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Laith Jaar of Al Jazeera, reporting from Qusra, noted that Israeli forces brought in reinforcements and prevented members of the Israeli group Peace Now from reaching the families, declaring the area a closed military zone. The mayor of Qusra Abdel Aziz Wadi told Wafa that Israeli forces also forced Italian activists, who had managed to reach the homes earlier this week, to leave.
Families left without access to basic resources
Settlers began surrounding the homes at the beginning of this week, blocking roads with stones, setting up a tent nearby, and preventing residents from entering or leaving freely. The homes were also left without water and electricity. According to the United Nations, about 15 Palestinians, including two children, live in the three homes and have difficulty obtaining basic necessities. The UN stated that they “remain locked in their homes in a state of terror, unable to meet their basic needs and without access to water or electricity.”
Israeli forces entered the area the day before and ordered the families to temporarily leave their homes. The residents refused to leave the area and instead gathered in one of the three homes, fearing that their homes might be taken over if they left. Jaar reported that on Friday, settlers again tried to set up a tent and create an outpost near the homes before Israeli forces removed it. Qusra has become a hotspot for settler violence in the northern occupied West Bank. Earlier this year, the UN said it recorded more settler attacks there than in any other community in the occupied West Bank.
Questions about the transfer of police powers
These events are taking place as Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the preparation for the transfer from the military to the Israeli police of responsibility for enforcing civil law regarding settlers in the occupied West Bank. Political scientist Ibrahim Rabaya told Al Jazeera that the proposed move appears to be motivated by political considerations and questioned how widely it could be implemented.
Rabaya noted that under the current system, the military remains responsible for law enforcement in the occupied West Bank, while coordination between the army and police is already taking place. He argued that the transfer of powers is unlikely to result in the police preventing settlers from attacking Palestinian homes. “The police are controlled by the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who arms these settlers and supports them in the West Bank,” said Rabaya, a political science academic and former editor-in-chief of the Palestinian Affairs journal. He also added that the expansion of settlements has reached an advanced stage, and the infrastructure, funding, and planning create a “reality that cannot be changed,” including new areas capable of accommodating more settlers in the future.
Source: Al Jazeera
