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The U.S. is pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn illegal settlers accused of besieging Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, Reuters reported Friday, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.
Illegal settlers have surrounded homes in Qusra for nearly a week after cutting off water and electricity, trapping Palestinian residents as rights groups warn of broader efforts to seize land in the area.
Washington began raising concerns after learning that the home of a Palestinian-American was among those targeted, a U.S. official and an Israeli official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The pressure follows public criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a strong supporter of Jewish illegal settlements in the West Bank, who on Thursday described illegal settlers besieging a Palestinian home as "Israeli terrorists."
Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the siege.
"We are very afraid," Aysha Hassan, who lives in one of three besieged homes, told Reuters by phone.
"There is nothing new. It's been like this for six days ... the settlers are still here."
Hassan said she saw illegal settlers below her home early Friday and provided Reuters with videos showing groups walking beneath the house.
Foreign and Israeli activists brought food, bottled water and canned goods for the trapped residents Friday, but the military initially prevented them from delivering the supplies directly, saying the area was a closed military zone.
Activists said the military told them it would inspect the supplies and bring them to the families. Hassan said residents were later allowed to leave their homes, collect the aid from a dirt path and carry it inside.
The U.N. has said about 15 Palestinians, including two children, were trapped in the homes without running water or electricity.
Footage obtained by Reuters from another Palestinian resident showed seven illegal settlers near a blue tent outside one of the homes. One person was seen throwing stones toward the nearby village while another arrived carrying chairs.
Israeli military vehicles and soldiers later arrived, and the tent was subsequently seen collapsed on the ground.
"Israeli civilians erected a tent in the Qusra area, and IDF soldiers operated to remove it while protecting the local residents," the Israeli military said.
The incident came a day after dozens of Israeli troops entered Qusra and occupied several village homes.
The siege began over the weekend when illegal settlers blocked the road to the three houses and erected a tent in their front yards, preventing people from entering or leaving. Electricity and water had already been cut.
The Israeli military said troops had been deployed in Qusra since Thursday morning to protect residents and maintain security.
Video from earlier in the week showed several Israeli men wearing green military clothing joining illegal settlers for morning prayers in the tent. The military said disciplinary action was being taken against any personnel involved.
Rights groups say illegal settlers have been trying to seize properties on the outskirts of Qusra and neighboring Jalud as part of an effort to take control of land between the villages and connect it with illegal settler outposts to the south and larger illegal settlements to the west.
Illegal settler violence in the West Bank has increased during the three years since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
Netanyahu's government, described by Reuters as the most right-wing in Israeli history, has overseen a rapid expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war.
Israel has established dozens of new illegal settlements and illegal settler outposts in the territory.
The West Bank is home to about 3 million Palestinians and 500,000 illegal settlers. According to Israeli illegal settlement watchdog Peace Now, there are about 146 illegal settlements and 390 smaller outposts in the territory.
Reuters reported that publicly condemning illegal settlers could carry political risks for Netanyahu about two months before an election.
Parts of his right-wing coalition rely on illegal settler voters, while opinion polls indicate Netanyahu could lose power, with his security credentials still affected by the 2023 Hamas attacks.
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