Israeli forces have implemented a significant blockade of Palestinian families residing in Qusra, a town situated south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, effectively halting efforts to deliver essential food and water supplies to three homes belonging to the Ras al-Ain area. This situation has been reported by Al Jazeera’s Laith Jaar, who is stationed in Qusra, and is a developing story with significant implications for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The activists, comprised of Israeli and foreign individuals, were attempting to establish a connection with the families to facilitate the delivery of vital resources, specifically food and water, to the homes on Friday. According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, the group’s objective was to reach the three homes, a crucial component of the daily survival of the residents. Al Jazeera’s Jaar reported that Israeli forces brought in reinforcements and decisively halted the efforts of Peace Now, a Palestinian activist group, who had already reached the homes earlier in the week, effectively preventing members of the group from accessing the residences.
Furthermore, the Israeli military has forcibly ordered the families to temporarily leave their homes, citing a closure of the area as a measure to prevent any potential encroachment or takeover. The residents, including two children, have been struggling to obtain basic necessities such as water and electricity, a situation that the United Nations has described as ‘trapped inside their homes in a state of terror,’ unable to attend to their fundamental needs and without access to clean water or electricity.
Israeli forces entered the Qusra area on an earlier day and issued a directive to the families to temporarily leave their homes. The residents, however, refused to leave and instead gathered in one of the three houses, fearing that their homes could be seized upon if abandoned. Jaar reported that settlers again attempted to erect a tent and establish an outpost near the homes on Friday, before Israeli forces removed it. The development comes as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered preparations for transferring responsibility for enforcing civilian law involving settlers in the occupied West Bank from the military to the Israeli police force. Political scientist Ibrahim Rabaia stated that the proposed move appears to be driven by political considerations and questioned whether it could be implemented broadly, emphasizing that the military remains responsible for overseeing the occupied West Bank under the existing security framework. He argued that the military’s control would be unlikely to result in police preventing settlers from attacking Palestinian homes, asserting that the police are controlled by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who arms these settlers and actively supports them within the West Bank. Rabaia further highlighted that the military’s expansion into the occupied West Bank has reached a significant stage, with infrastructure, funding, and planning meticulously laid out to create a reality where a larger number of settlers are anticipated to populate the area. This expansion, he stated, represents a long-term strategic objective with the potential to significantly alter the landscape of the West Bank.
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Source: Al Jazeera
