Ian H
Shaman
Five days into the siege laid by Israeli settlers to the homes of Palestinian families in the West Bank village of Qusra, and a day after the IDF tried and failed to evacuate the settlers, Israeli forces began preparing for a days-long operation meant to tackle the crisis.
While the IDF stated that soldiers had begun dismantling two illegal outposts on the outskirts of Qusra, residents said settlers remained on the hill alongside Israeli forces.
The mayor of Qusra, Abdel-Azim al-Wadi, told a local radio station that he received a message from the Palestinian Coordination Office Thursday morning about an IDF operation in the village and was asked to prevent clashes between residents and soldiers. He said troops had closed shops, restricted movement and placed the village under siege.
Earlier in the day, several families in the village were told to leave their homes ahead of the IDF's deployment. Some refused to do so. One resident, Qusai Abu Ridi, told Haaretz he feared that if he left, he would not be allowed to return home after the operation.
The IDF later said that soldiers have been deployed in the area "to protect the residents and maintain security," but that they will not operate inside Palestinian homes, and have since left four houses, allowing some families to return. The forces will instead make use of unpopulated homes for the operation, a security source told Haaretz, following an order from Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth.
One Palestinian family whose home was taken over by the IDF earlier in the day said soldiers removed a digital video recorder containing security camera footage of recent settler attacks.
Residents of other houses reported theft of cash and damage to furniture, adding that soldiers used the kitchen and left it in disarray. In one of the homes, residents claimed that soldiers tore pages from the family's Quran.
On Wednesday evening, a senior Israeli security source told Haaretz that the West Bank is a "powder keg that could explode at any moment", adding that the Netanyahu government has been warned that ongoing settler attacks are stretching the military thin.
Some security sources have said that senior IDF officers are reluctant to act decisively against violent settlers for fear it could damage their prospects for promotion. According to sources in the IDF's Central Command, officers fear taking any measure that could be perceived as political, particularly three months before Israel's election and the possible appointment of a new defense minister in its aftermath.
[Haaretz]
While the IDF stated that soldiers had begun dismantling two illegal outposts on the outskirts of Qusra, residents said settlers remained on the hill alongside Israeli forces.
The mayor of Qusra, Abdel-Azim al-Wadi, told a local radio station that he received a message from the Palestinian Coordination Office Thursday morning about an IDF operation in the village and was asked to prevent clashes between residents and soldiers. He said troops had closed shops, restricted movement and placed the village under siege.
Earlier in the day, several families in the village were told to leave their homes ahead of the IDF's deployment. Some refused to do so. One resident, Qusai Abu Ridi, told Haaretz he feared that if he left, he would not be allowed to return home after the operation.
The IDF later said that soldiers have been deployed in the area "to protect the residents and maintain security," but that they will not operate inside Palestinian homes, and have since left four houses, allowing some families to return. The forces will instead make use of unpopulated homes for the operation, a security source told Haaretz, following an order from Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth.
One Palestinian family whose home was taken over by the IDF earlier in the day said soldiers removed a digital video recorder containing security camera footage of recent settler attacks.
Residents of other houses reported theft of cash and damage to furniture, adding that soldiers used the kitchen and left it in disarray. In one of the homes, residents claimed that soldiers tore pages from the family's Quran.
On Wednesday evening, a senior Israeli security source told Haaretz that the West Bank is a "powder keg that could explode at any moment", adding that the Netanyahu government has been warned that ongoing settler attacks are stretching the military thin.
Some security sources have said that senior IDF officers are reluctant to act decisively against violent settlers for fear it could damage their prospects for promotion. According to sources in the IDF's Central Command, officers fear taking any measure that could be perceived as political, particularly three months before Israel's election and the possible appointment of a new defense minister in its aftermath.
[Haaretz]
