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

“THE SETTLERS ARE STILL HERE”

Violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank has risen during the three years since the Hamas-led Oct 7 attacks on Israel.

Condemning settlers could be politically risky for Netanyahu some two months before an election, potentially upsetting settler voters upon whom parts of his right-wing coalition rely. Opinion polls show Netanyahu could lose power, his security credentials still shaken by the 2023 Hamas attacks.

“We are very afraid,” said Aysha Hassan, a Palestinian woman who lives in one of three besieged homes in the village, speaking to Reuters by phone.

“There is nothing new. It’s been like this for six days … the settlers are still here.”

Hassan said she had seen settlers below the house in the early hours and shared videos with Reuters showing groups of settlers wandering underneath her home that she said she had taken from her window.

She said trapped residents received some aid including food, bottled water and canned goods brought by foreign and Israeli activists on Friday, though the military prevented them from delivering it to the homes directly, saying it was a closed military zone.

The activists said the military told them they would check the aid and bring it to the families. Hassan said the military allowed them to exit the houses, pick up the aid as it was laid out on a dirt path, and bring it inside.