Dozens of Israeli settlers raided the Palestinian village of Qusra, southeast of Nablus, on Saturday, taking over a home while the family that lived there remained inside, throwing stones and assaulting residents. Homeowner Luay Bayruti was injured and left with a bandaged arm, and four residents were hurt by tear gas while two more were hurt by stones, according to residents.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators a handful of rioters responsible for a huge injustice, and said security forces worked quickly, seized three vehicles, and brought an end to the incident. PMO spokesman Doron Spielman said Israel has succeeded in many ways in preventing settler attacks despite their increased frequency.
No arrests were made. Residents said troops who arrived at the scene fired tear gas at Palestinians inside the besieged home rather than detaining any of the settlers involved, a gap between the statement's language and the outcome it describes. Saddam Oday, a medic among those trapped inside, was one of the residents caught in the standoff.
Qusra has been the site of repeated settler incidents this month, and separately on the same day masked settlers attacked NBC News journalists in the nearby village of Jalud, while a British activist was detained on an unrelated allegation. Netanyahu's statement addressed the injustice of one raid. It did not address why the pattern across these villages keeps producing the same gap between condemnation and arrest.
