The IDF has dispatched an extra battalion of troops to the West Bank village of Qusra, which has been besieged by extremist settlers by Sunday.
Palestinian families in the village, which sits just south of Nablus, have been trapped in their homes after settler activists set up an illegal outpost to stake a claim to the land.
The Israelis blockaded the area and cut water and electricity lines in an attempt to force Palestinian residents out. As of Thursday morning, the only villager allowed to leave was a girl requiring medical treatment, who was evacuated by a Red Crescent ambulance.
המצור בקוסרה: פורעים יהודים חוסמים את הדרכים עם אבנים@HGoldich pic.twitter.com/yGuN6JVMpY
On Wednesday, the Border Force attempted to clear the outpost, but their plan was reportedly leaked ahead of the operation. Dozens of pro-settlement activists subsequently travelled to the area to prevent the breaking of the siege, sparking what a “security source” described to Army Radio as a “mass riot”.
Footage from the scene broadcast by Kan showed settlers piling large rocks onto the road in a bid to block the approach to the village.
The settlers’ actions have been publicly condemned by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who called the siege a “horrific act of terror” and “thuggish behaviour”.
Kan has also reported that the Trump administration is frustrated by the perceived lack of Israeli response to the siege, while Ynet reported that a senior White House official is due to hold a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the “anarchy” in the West Bank.
The IDF has now confirmed that Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has ordered the deployment of an infantry battalion to the area to quell the unrest and clear the outpost.
“The chief of staff instructed the continuation of efforts to strengthen order and operational control in the area, as well as to prevent the continuation of the serious incidents,” a military spokesperson said.
The battalion, which was on leave between missions, will work with police and the Shin Bet to “to strengthen operational control” and “bring the rioters to justice,” they added, with additional forces on standby if necessary.
The siege follows an uptick in settler violence, which increased by almost a third last year per the latest annual IDF figures.
Speaking on Wednesday, prime ministerial hopeful Naftali Bennett called for the reinstatement of administrative detention “where it’s relevant” against settler “terrorists” in the West Bank.
“There are 550,000 Israelis in [the West Bank], the vast majority of whom are law-abiding. They serve in the military reserves and pay taxes — regular people whom I really love,” he told 103FM Radio.
"[But] there is a minority that breaks the law, and the law should be enforced with a firm hand against anyone who breaks it.”
Administrative detention allows the IDF to detain individuals for up to six months without charge, with the potential to be renewed indefinitely by military courts without presenting the evidence to the accused.
While primarily used against Palestinians suspected of terror offences, the detention orders were also previously imposed on violent settlers until Defence Minister Israel Katz paused their use against Israeli suspects when he entered his post in 2024.
Meanwhile, during a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the West Bank on Tuesday, Israel’s ambassador to the global body, Danny Danon, said member states would have to “recognise a simple truth” that “the Jewish settlements in [the West Bank] will remain and continue to develop”.
“[These are] not temporary outposts, but homes, families, and strong, beautiful communities,” he told the council.
He also rejected the term “settler violence”, suggesting the council was enforcing double standards on the Jewish State.
“This May, there were 348 Palestinian terrorist attacks in [the West Bank]. Eight pipe bomb attacks, 282 stone-throwing incidents, 32 fire bomb attacks, 24 arson incidents and two serious car ramming attacks,” he said, claiming that 400 more attacks were prevented by Israeli security forces.
“How many of you have condemned these terrorist attacks against Jews?
“None of these numbers were reported by the briefers, and none of these attacks were mentioned by any of you. This is the bias we are confronting today.
“It denies our connection to the land of Israel. It distracts from constant terrorist attacks against Israelis, and it collectively labels entire innocent communities for the crimes of the marginal extremist minority.”
Per the IDF’s figures, a total of 57 Palestinian terror attacks were recorded last year, resulting in 20 deaths, down from 258 attacks resulting in 35 deaths in 2024 and 847 attacks leading to 41 deaths the year before, with the military crediting improved enforcement action with the decline.
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