UN urges Israel to help West Bank families trapped by settlers
The UN rights office said Palestinian households in the occupied West Bank have been confined in their homes for days as settlers press to take nearby land.
The UN human rights office has called on Israeli authorities to protect Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank after settlers surrounded homes in the village of Qusra and kept residents inside for days. The appeal came on Thursday as the situation continued to unfold.
According to the office, the families have been unable to leave their houses while settlers remain nearby. The UN said the episode is part of a wider push to seize Palestinian land in the area.
BBC News reported that Israeli security forces pulled back from the site, leaving about a dozen settlers there after two families had been besieged since Sunday. The New York Times also reported that the standoff has highlighted the difficulty Israeli forces face in restraining settler attacks and shielding Palestinians in the West Bank.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also condemned the incident on Thursday, describing it as a terror attack and saying Israeli troops had intervened after a US request but did not clear the settlers. The West Bank has seen repeated clashes involving settlers and Palestinian residents amid rising tensions over land and security.
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