Palestine weekly: Global outcry fails to break West Bank siege

What the report says

Israeli settlers and Israeli forces intensified pressure on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank over the past week, according to Al Jazeera. The main focus was Qusra, south of Nablus, where settlers have surrounded three Palestinian families in their homes for more than a week, cutting off supplies and access to emergency services. One of the homes belongs to a Palestinian-American, which helped draw wider international attention. Al Jazeera reported that the United Nations, France, Spain and the United Kingdom condemned the siege, while the US ambassador to Israel publicly called the settlers involved “Israeli terrorists.”

The report said Israeli forces later ordered the families to evacuate and took over several houses in the town, saying they were doing so for protection. It also described similar incidents elsewhere, including Beit Imrin, where settlers blocked a home and ambulances before Israeli forces entered and arrested the people inside. Al Jazeera noted that the pattern is especially concerning in areas that are not normally under full Israeli legal control, because it suggests a widening use of tactics that isolate Palestinian residents while settlers remain in place.

The article also linked the West Bank situation to broader developments in Gaza. It said a Board of Peace official stated that Israel would not need to withdraw from Gaza until Hamas disarms, despite a previously announced phased deal. Al Jazeera framed this as evidence of tension between US-backed ceasefire efforts and pressure from Israel’s far right for continued military action. The report added that strikes in Gaza resumed at a lower tempo, while humanitarian conditions remained severe.