Islamic Cooperation Organization Warns of Escalating Settler Violence in West Bank’s Qusra
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a stark warning today about the dangers posed by intensified organized settler terrorism in the West Bank, supported by Israeli occupation forces. The OIC highlighted the ongoing siege and relentless aggressions against the town of Qusra, located south of Nablus.
The OIC stated that these aggressions are part of a broader pattern of violence against the Palestinian people, which includes settlement expansion, land confiscation, destruction of Palestinian homes, damage to infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and attacks on civilian tents. The organization emphasized that these actions, along with attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homes, constitute a clear violation of international law and UN resolutions.
The international body reiterated its call to global forums to exert diplomatic, legal, and economic pressure on the Tel Aviv leadership to halt these organized crimes. The OIC secretariat underscored the necessity of activating international legal mechanisms to prosecute and punish those responsible for these violations.
In recent developments on the ground, approximately 50 Palestinian and foreign activists gathered in the town of Qusra on Friday, attempting to reach Palestinian homes besieged by Israeli settlers in the Ras al-Ain area. Among the activists were members of the “Peace Now” movement, but Israeli occupation forces prevented them from reaching the besieged homes and dispersed them from the area. Simultaneously, additional military forces were deployed to the vicinity of the gathering.
Local sources reported that Israeli settlers have again erected a tent in front of Palestinian homes in Qusra. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation claimed that settlers re-established their tent near these homes despite the army’s presence, suggesting the army is struggling to control the situation, while settlers remain in the vicinity of Palestinian residences.
The Palestinian town of Qusra, situated southeast of Nablus, has become a primary target for settler attacks and pressure due to its strategic location. Qusra covers about nine square kilometers and its elevated position offers extensive views of the Jordan Valley. Several settlements and outposts, including Madgelim, Ish Kodesh, Ahia, and Kedumim, are located around Qusra, geographically linked to the Shiloh settlement cluster in the central West Bank.
Qusra, along with the villages and towns of Jalud, Duma, and Al-Mughayyir, forms a geographical barrier hindering the connection between the central West Bank settlements and those in the Jordan Valley. According to Palestinian reports, Israeli settlement plans in this region aim to create an east-west settlement corridor to link the central West Bank with the Jordan Valley. Such a move could lead to further fragmentation of the West Bank and the separation of its northern and southern regions.
