US urges Netanyahu to condemn settlers besieging Palestinians in West Bank

The United States is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn Israeli settlers who have besieged Palestinian homes in Qusra, while France is calling for their arrest and prosecution. As residents remain cut off from food and other supplies, settler violence is putting further political press

“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” said a White House official.

Extremist settlers have been encircling homes in the West Bank town of Kusra for almost a week.

The U.S. wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn a siege imposed by Jewish settlers in a Palestinian village, officials said on Friday, as settlers pressured residents by pitching a new tent before Israeli soldiers arrived and it was taken down.

The diplomatic intervention escalated after American authorities discovered that a Palestinian-American's residence was among those targeted

Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, described the settlers in Qusra as "Israeli terrorists" amid weeklong siege.

US wants Netanyahu to condemn settler siege in Palestinian village, officials say  Reuters

Six days in a row • Settlers return to West Bank outpost besieging two Palestinian-owned homes  Haaretz

By Pesha Magid and Rami Ayyub QUSRA, West Bank, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The United States wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn a siege imposed by Jewish settlers in a Palestinian village, U.S. and Israeli officials said on Friday, as settlers pressured residents by pitching a new tent before I

Failing to drive out a handful of so-called 'hilltop youth,' Israel's military turned instead against their Palestinian victims. The government fears that the radical settlers will draw criticism from Washington over more ambitious settlement plans.

Failing to drive out a handful of so-called 'hilltop youth,' Israel's military turned instead against their Palestinian victims. The government fears that the radical settlers will draw criticism from Washington over more ambitious settlement plans.

Israeli security forces have reportedly withdrawn and about a dozen settlers are said to remain at the site where two families have been besieged since Sunday.