THE HILLS south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank tell the story of a creeping annexation. Winding dirt tracks leading to Palestinian villages are blocked by rocks and piles of earth, cutting off access from olive groves and fields. Israeli settlers have planted vines in neat rows, erected fences festooned with flags and brought in herds of goats. They patrol the area with new Ranger utility vehicles and assault rifles given to them by the Israeli government.
“The settlers forced us to play cat-and-mouse, and we lost. Three days into the siege, the IDF belatedly replaced the unit in Qusra with a more disciplined infantry battalion. It tried to remove the settlers and evict the Tel Talpiot outpost. This was only partly successful, as the settlers brought in reinforcements who tussled with the soldiers and remained in the area. It forced the families to remain blockaded in their homes and prevented activists from coming to their aid and media from visiting. But he was adamant that they would continue to protect their property.
“It was an embarrassing incident,” said one officer. The IDF announced the homes were in a “closed military zone”. “We are besieged, the army is not allowing us to leave our house,” said Qusai Abu Ridi, one of the residents.
That makes Qusra, despite everything, a rare case of Palestinian residents managing to hold on to their homes. On July 24th a group of armed settlers arrived in the village of Tel on what they claimed was a “hike. Four Palestinians and two Israelis ended up killed. In response the IDF deployed more troops and imposed closures on Palestinian towns, including Nablus, one of the largest cities in the West Bank. The IDF claims to be enforcing order in the area. But it has overseen a steep rise in the number of attacks on Palestinians. The events in Qusra highlight the IDF’s disinclination to prevent the settlers’ attempts to chase out Palestinians. Senior officers, both serving and retired, blame a breakdown in discipline and the presence of settlers within the IDF’s ranks. But ultimately they hold members of the Israeli government responsible. Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, has remained silent While the IDF’s high command has publicly condemned the attacks in Qusra. Since the police lack personnel in the West Bank and are under the control of the far-right national-security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, himself a settler, they are unlikely to enforce the law in the area.
Overall, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the IDF and settlers since the Hamas attack of October 7th.
In the first six months of 2026, according to Israel’s security agency, the Shin Bet, 660 “nationalistic” attacks took place in the West Bank, up from 405 in the same period last year. On August 14th Israel Katz, the defence minister, said that enforcing the law on settlers in the West Bank would, from now on, be the responsibility of the Israeli police and not the IDF.
Yet the incident is also part of a fresh escalation over the past month, as settlers have tried to grab as much land as they can before the election in October, which might return a government less supportive of their cause.
