Settlers and soldiers seen shaking hands outside besieged West Bank home
Video shows Israeli settlers shaking hands with soldiers outside a besieged Palestinian home in Qusra, West Bank.
New video footage from the occupied West Bank shows Israeli settlers shaking hands and chatting with Israeli soldiers outside a Palestinian home that has been under siege for over a week.
The footage, captured by Palestinian resident Qusai Abu Rida, shows settlers arriving on ATVs and greeting troops stationed near his house in the village of Qusra. In one sequence, settlers are seen grinning directly at the camera as they pass by.
The Israeli military says it deployed soldiers to the area to remove the settlers after the siege drew international criticism. However, Palestinians and rights groups have accused the army of failing to take firm action against the settlers, and in some instances, of appearing to collude with them.
The Israeli army did not respond to questions about the footage showing soldiers shaking hands and conversing with settlers.
The standoff began last Sunday when dozens of settlers blocked the entrances to three homes in Qusra, preventing occupants from leaving, according to families inside. Troops intervened multiple times and arrived in large numbers on Thursday.
Abu Rida and his teenage son were temporarily moved by the army on Thursday but were allowed to return hours later. He told his brother in Ohio that he planned to stay and defend the home.
The incident is the latest in a wave of settler violence across the West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 war and which Palestinians seek as part of a future state. The military has declared the village, located roughly 16 kilometers from Nablus, a closed military zone.